Heart Made Of Fire
by ArashiHoshi
Summary: Tsuyoi Arakawa is the Seventh Dragon Queen of Liodito - a country that has hidden from the shinobi nations since their founding. As Tsuyoi prepares for the end of reign, and consequently, the end of her life. As she struggles to accept her fate and questions the legacy of her predeccesors, a band of shinobi stumble into her life - among them a blue-eyed ninja named Naruto Uzumaki.
1. Liodito Sun

"Lady Tsuyoi! Where are you?" Lady Fukuo's voice called down the empty hallway. Tsuyoi paused, her hand on the door that led to the courtyard outside. _Do I really want to deal with her right now?_ Tsuyoi thought for a moment. The incessant nagging, the fake bright smiles. Then the brutal training. Then the memories followed, and the sensational burn of her sword in her hand. _Heck no._ She shut the memory out, tight. _Not today. Not today, or any other day. Never again._

She ignored her patron's summons and pushed the door open. The bright afternoon sun blinded her for a moment, and she relished the tingling sensation it left on her eyes. She stepped outside, letting the warm sun bathe her in its glowing light. It was out here, in the Liodito sun, where she could forget her problems, for however briefly.

Tsuyoi headed across the courtyard to the clearing she'd roped off for her swordsmanship lessons. The trees here were slashed, their bark carved away from years of practice. She paused while she was reaching for the hilt of her longest sword, gazing at the largest oak tree with her head tilted thoughtfully. The bark's carved-out sections started down lower than the rest of the trees. She must have been shorter when she'd made them, significantly shorter. _These ten years have really flown by,_ she thought. _In one week, it'll be all over. Nothing I do will matter anymore._ Feeling a pillar of anger rise up inside her, she unsheathed her long sword from its sheath on her back. She closed her eyes, holding it out in front of her with both hands. With a release of _reiki,_ her _dairokkan_ markings ignited and blazed to life. The tattoos created a path so that the energy traveled from her forearms, up her shoulders and neck, and into her eyes. She felt the reiki in the air around her gather in the tattoos on her arms, and she pushed, channeling it up into her eyes. The Dairokkan was a kekkai genkai of the Arakawa clan, a culmination of natural-born high-level reiki and persistent, harsh training. Not every Arakawa had the ability or resources to learn the amount of reiki control required in mastering dairokkan, and Tsuyoi knew she was lucky to have learned it at all. Dairokkan enabled her to sense the life force in all living things, and bend the energy collected to her will.

There were baby steps, of course. But the possibilities were limitless. Just last week, Tsuyoi had learned how to channel reiki to her feet to increase her speed, and into her fists for more precision and force in hand to hand combat. Lady Tomoe had been training her in dairokkan shiryoku hard lately, teaching her how to build up reiki and expel it to her eyes, and she wanted to get good at using the new skill before her patron trained with her again. Anger flared up again. _Why do I bother? In a week I'm going to be-_ Tsuyoi shut the thought down and shut her eyes. Shifting the blade to her right hand, she twisted her fingers into the backhand position on the hilt.

"Dairokkan shiryoku," she muttered, releasing the pent-up reiki into her eyes. Eyes closed, she used her enabled sixth sense to find her mark. _There_. She could sense the space between two slash marks that hadn't been touched yet. She swung, sharp and quick. "Dairokkan Release," she mumbled again, sending the leftover reiki back into the air around her. She opened her eyes and there was another neat nick in the tree, right where she'd meant for it be. Flopping into the grass with her long blade beside her, she leaned her head back and stared at the sky. _How boring_ , she thought, gazing at the clouds drifting aimlessly overhead. _Perfection isn't all it's cracked up to be._ _Maybe if I didn't seem so perfect, Lady Hayate would have picked another girl that day, and I wouldn't have had to suffer like this._

Closing her eyes, she thought back to her Day Of Choosing. The Dragon Queen before her had been named Hayate Ai. The beautiful girl had seemed so tall to Tsuyoi then.

" _You_."

 _The word had been spoken plainly enough, but still Mother Hana and Mother Yuki's mouths gaped in shock. Their matching green eyes stared at the tip of Lady Hayate's pointing finger. The smooth, perfect finger was aimed at the stretch of forehead between Tsuyoi's eyes. The tiny youth stared back at the finger, slightly cross-eyed, a frown on her mouth._

 _"Lady Hayate, please reconsider. Tsuyoi, she's very, uh, free-spirited." Mother Hana pleaded, her voice high and squeaky._

 _Lady Hayate appraised the child, eyes sharp with intelligence. "She's an Arakawa, isn't she?"_

 _"Y-yes, but-"_

 _"So with training, she can possess the Dairokkan?"_

 _"Hypothetically speaking, yes, milady."_

 _"She has the highest level of reiki out of this group, Mother Hana. The Dragon King needs the purest of souls to be the Dragon Queen." Hayate smiled at Tsuyoi, trying to win favor with the girl, but the child only stuck her tongue out at her._

 _Mother Hana and Mother Yuki smiled despite themselves. "Forgive us, milady. Tsuyoi is anything but pure. She's the biggest troublemaker in Liodito. Even the boys aren't as rambunctious as her. We just prayed that we would find a good apprenticeship for her, and an honest profession would mellow her out. Ever since the Headmna passed, she's become moody as well."_

 _Hayate glared hard at Tsuyoi, and Tsuyoi glared back. "You are the one," she told the girl, her voice surprisingly soft. "And it is time for you to become the next Dragon Queen." She held out her hand to the child. "Come."_

 _Tsuyoi still glared. "I have to say goodbye to Takashi Yamashita and Hiromu Hoshi. They are my best friend, and I promised that I would say goodbye if I was Chosen," she said plainly, crossing her arms over her chest._

 _Hayate blinked at the girl. Once the next Dragon Queen was chosen, she was not allowed to speak to anyone except her patrons, or in Hayate's case, the Mothers._

 _A silent battle ensued. Tsuyoi's emerald eyes raged war with Hayate's pale leaf green ones, rebelling against the rules placed in Liodito since before either of them were born. Finally, Hayate nodded. "Come then. We must be swift, lest we are caught."_

A rustling in the bushes beyond the courtyard startled Tsuyoi out of her memories. Her senses shot into hyper alert. Her hearing zeroed in on the direction the noises had come from, behind her. She didn't turn, lest she alert the intruder that she was aware of their presence. Instead, she focused, pressing her hearing to a point. The sounds were too heavy for the occasional squirrels or even deer that roamed the deep forest surrounding the monastery where Tsuyoi lived, and it was too light for any mega Faun, even a newborn. _What could it be?_ She thought, standing up slowly and stretching her arms over her head, feigning ignorance. _Or rather, who?_ She gazed longingly at her long sword where it lay in the grass. _I cannot let them know that I am capable of defending myself._ Then she remembered; her other two swords were still strapped to her back. Anyone with good sense will see the empty perch and assume she was missing a blade, or think she could be hiding it. _Drat!_

She spun around and walked towards the monastery, letting a wistful expression mask her anxiety. _Who could possibly be out here? Only me and the patrons know where this place is!_ She paused, reaching the place that the noise had been coming from. The rustling had ceased. All was still; even the birds and the squirrels had gone quiet, like they were holding their breath in suspense. Finally, Tsuyoi exhaled. Whoever was hiding was skilled in keeping silent. Only one thing left to try.

Tsuyoi closed her eyes and lifted her hands. Curling her right hand in a fist, she planted it into the palm of her left. "Dairokkan!" Her tattoos glowed. "Shiryoku!" The reiki was absorbed into her skin, leaving the air around her dry. The energy traveled up her arms, over her shoulders, and up into her eyes. Opening them again, her vision of the wall and the tall trees above it faded; now she saw the world around her in solid masses of color. Warmer life-forces came out in reds and oranges, and cooler ones in mellow blues and greens. Now, she pinpointed the intruder, his life energy a vivid orange among the purple of the trees. She could make out his shoulders and head. In a flash, she scooped a rock from the earth and launched it into the trees. There was a sharp cry of pain, and then a person tumbled over the gray stone wall and into the dirt.

In her surprise, her shiryoku vanished, and she found herself face to face with a blue-eyed, yellow-haired boy. He had pinkish white skin, the likes of which she had she had ever seen before, and there were strange black markings on his cheeks that resembled a cat's whiskers. He winced in pain and sat up in the dust, rubbing a knot on his temple. _How did that not knock him out?_

"Owww! What did you do that for?" He whined. As he said this, he cut a glance to the trees he had come from. Tsuyoi's hackles rose. _There are others!_

Tsuyoi darted forward; with one hand she grabbed the disoriented boy and shoved him up close to her, and with the other, she unsheathed a sword from its perch and held it against his neck.

"H-hey!" The boy stuttered, but went quiet when Tsuyoi pressed the blade deeper into his neck, drawing a thin line of blood.

She sent a silent warning into the trees. _Come out or this boy dies!_ All was silent for a heartbeat, and Tsuyoi pressed the blade even deeper. The boy cried out, and Tsuyoi winced but held firm.

After a tense moment, a white-haired man with a mask covering most of his face, revealing nothing but his eyes, hopped over the wall, his hands held up in surrender. Despite his hair color, he seemed to be about middle-aged. A pink-haired girl with green eyes, younger than the man, followed him. Then an extremely pale-skinned boy appeared. Tsuyoi wrinkled her nose. The boy was so pale he looked sickly, but the intelligence in his dark eyes told her he was anything but.

"We're shinobi from the Land of Fire, and we seem to have gotten lost," the white-haired man said pleasantly. His calm demeanor seemed out of place in this situation. "If you would kindly let him go, we'll be on our way. And you won't see us ever again."

 _Shinobi? The Land of Fire?_ Tsuyoi had read a little about the land beyond the sunset before, but it was vague. No one had any real information on the Shinobi World. It was rarely talked about.

The man's tone was friendly enough, but it masked a hidden threat. It was clear these outsiders would fight for the boy, and Tsuyoi wasn't sure she could take them all on. Straighting, she shoved the boy forward. He staggered and collapsed on his knees, clutching his throat and gasping. Tsuyoi felt a pang of sympathy, but she swallowed her compassion and flicked her sword in an arc by her side, sending a thin trail of blood through the air.

"Naruto!" The girl gasped and darted forward, helping him stand. She shot Tsuyoi an angry glare.

Tsuyoi, however, was transfixed with wonder at the boy. _Naruto?_ His hair was bright. No one in Liodito had hair that bright a color. Everyone's hair was green. Same with eye color. And these newcomers' skin was all pale and fleshy. Tsuyoi had only seen people with brown skin, in varying shades. _Who are these people?_

Suddenly, the gray-haired man shifted his weight, and Tsuyoi heard the tinkling of metal bumping against each other. She tensed. They were armed.

"Don't be alarmed," the man raised his hands. "We won't hurt you. We'll just be on our-"

"Tsuyoi!" Lady Tomoe's voice cut through the air. Tsuyoi turned. Her patron stood with the door half open, eyes wide as she took in the scene. "Who are you?" She demanded, narrowing her eyes. Then she spotted the boy called Naruto, and the blood seeping around his hand. He held it against his throat, pain etched on his face. Tomoe's face relaxed slightly, but her body remained tense. "I think you all should come inside."


	2. Path Less Traveled

"My name is Kakashi Hatake," the white-haired man introduced himself and bowed low before the Patrons of the Monastery. Head Lady Chizu and the other two, Lady Tomoe and Lady Fukuo, had led the outsiders into the master temple room, where they held their meetings. Meetings that usually didn't involve Tsuyoi. Tsuyoi knelt beside the boy named Naruto, a roll of bandages in her hand. She felt Head Lady Chizu's eyes staring pointedly into her back, but ignored her and unrolled a stretch of bandage.

The temple room was pretty but bare. Encircled by windows on three sides, the room allowed one to gaze about and take it in the beauty of the forest surrounding the monastery. There was no furniture except for the pillows the outsiders and the patrons sat on now and a few candleholders that still smelled of incense.

"Sakura Haruno," the pink-haired girl offered her own name, along with a smile. Tsuyoi watched from the corner of her eye as the girl nudged the pale-skinned boy with an elbow.

"Sai." She said simply, a single word of warning and introduction.

Tsuyoi eyed him. _No last name? Must be an orphan._ Sai caught her looking and turned his head towards her, returning her cool stare. Smirking, Tsuyoi parted her jaws and let a stream of black smoke drift from her mouth. This startled him for the briefest of moments, but his face immediately froze into its cool glare again. Nevertheless, Tsuyoi was satisfied. _Being the Dragon Queen certainly has its benefits._

"Please contain yourself, Tsuyoi." Chizu's voice made Tsuyoi jump.

The boy Naruto was trying to turn his head at the smell of smoke, but he was hurting his torn neck. Tsuyoi frowned and gently but firmly held his jaw with a hand and turned it so his head was facing forward again. _Idiot_.

"And what might your name be, young man?" Chizu had her attention on Naruto now, and Tsuyoi felt her dairokkan markings burn slightly. _Why must you look at the boy like he's a piece of meat?_ Her patron's sharp eyes searched him up and down as she addressed him. Tsuyoi knew she was using her heightened sense of _wa_ \- one's harmonious spirit with the earth - to determine the boy's threat level.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki!" He announced, speaking his name with fiery pride despite the pain in his neck like he was daring anyone to say differently. Tsuyoi lowered her hand a little, taken back by his brazenness. _What is it about this boy?_ She wondered. He turned his head again, ever so slightly so that he met her eyes, and grinned. Tsuyoi looked away, half-embarrassed, half-annoyed, and tightened the bandages around his neck. He winced.

"We are shinobi from the Land of Fire, and we were returning home when we got lost," Kakashi jumped back in. "All we need is quick directions, and we'll be out of your hair before you know it."

"Shinobi? It has been so long since shinobi have been trained out here in Liodito. Now there's few samurai and all sorts of pesky self-taught ronin to deal with. And The Land of Fire, you say? You seem to be a long way from home," Lady Chizu yammered, nudging his last comment aside. "How did you find yourselves all the way out here?"

"On a mission for our Village," Kakashi answered vaguely.

"Oh? What kind of mission?" Chizu pressed.

 _Well, the old biddy has a way with words. She manages to stay polite and conversational, but she's getting all the information she needs,_ Tsuyoi observed. _A good skill._ She cut a glance at Kakashi, whose face was a perfect mask of polite intrigue. _And this guy's not half bad either._

The gray-haired man flexed his hand behind his leg as if he was weighing the pros and cons of his next move. Then he set his jaw, taking a gamble.

"A mapping expedition."

Tsuyoi froze. She felt Lady Chizu stiffen, even from across the room. Tsuyoi's dairokkan markings flared, and she struggled to lull them back to normal again before the shinobi noticed.

"But we've finished our mission," Kakashi pushed on. "And we are just trying to return home. So could you point us in the right direction and let us be on our way?"

A moment of terse silence passed between Chizu and Kakashi. Tsuyoi watched the exchange nervously, knowing what was coming next.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," Chizu answered coolly, smiling.

"What?" Sakura gasped.

"You can't keep us here!" Naruto protested, straining against Tsuyoi's hands. Tsuyoi resisted the urge to smack him _. You're injured, you reckless idiot!_

"Calm down, Naruto!" Kakashi ordered. "They have every right, seeing as how we are the trespassers in this situation. However," he gave Chizu a pointed look, "I do think we deserve an explanation."

"Of course." Chizu dipped her head. "You see, the Dragon Festival is approaching. Here in Liodito, we dedicate one week of festivities to our Dragon Queen, to celebrate her and her pilgrimage to the Earth Dragon King's temple." Chizu nodded at Tsuyoi, who lowered her head, flushing. "No travel is allowed during this time, and it would be improper to allow you to leave now. We are scheduled to leave for Liodito in four days' time, and then Lady Tsuyoi will head on her journey. You are welcome to leave after she departs." Chizu gestured to Lady Fukuo and Tomoe. "Tomoe, show our guests to their rooms in the west wing. Fukuo, notify the kitchen; I want our guests to be well fed tonight."

"Yes, Head Lady Chizu," Tomoe and Fukuo bowed.

"You are all dismissed." Chizu's tone left no room for argument.

Tsuyoi patted the last bandage in place, wrapping it firmly around Naruto's neck. She stood, stepping away from him. He met her eyes as he stood, smiling slightly.

"Thanks."

Tsuyoi's cheeks burned. He said it so warmheartedly, with such genuinity it made Tsuyoi blush even harder. Not once in her entire stay at the Patrons' Monastery had someone made her feel appreciated like this. _Even though I'm the one who slit his throat in the first place,_ she thought sullenly. She couldn't stop looking at his hair. _What kind of enchantment makes your hair look as warm as sunlight?_ She wondered. _Or make your eyes look like the noon sky?_ He stood a little taller than her, so he had to look down slightly to meet her eyes. She realized she was staring, and he was staring back. _He's probably never seen someone with hair like mine either,_ she rationalized.Nevertheless, she looked away.

"Naruto." Kakashi called his name.

"Coming," he answered, gazing at her for a moment longer. Then he turned away with a smile on his face, walking towards the door where the rest of his companions were waiting.

 _What was that about?_ Tsuyoi started to follow until Chizu called out. "I'd like to speak to you for a moment, Tsuyoi."

Tsuyoi froze, feeling an involuntary pillar of anger flare up. Tsuyoi hated Chizu, and Chizu knew it.

"You didn't speak to them, did you?" She gestured to the door where the shinobi had just been a moment ago.

"No." Tsuyoi replied simply, barely suppressing her rage.

"That's good. You handled yourself well. You have been thoroughly trained, Tsuyoi Arakawa." Chizu's compliment dripped in malice. "You've mastered four Dairokkan Pillars and almost fully harnessed the Earth Dragon Arts. You've matured faster than any Dragon Queen before you. You've even surpassed Hayate Ai, and she was an exceptional student. And all for what?" Gone was the diplomatic old lady; she'd transformed into a snarling, spiteful, fire-breathing lizard. The old biddy opened her mouth wide, revealing elongated fangs and fire building up in the back of her throat. "To become dragon food, that's what. Your achievements mean nothing!"

Tsuyoi snarled a warning, loud and angry. She whirled on Chizu, dairokkan glowing furiously. The Head Lady let loose a fireball.

Tsuyoi planted her right fist in her open palm. " _Sukeruama_! Earth Dragon Scale Armor!" She was immediately covered in black scaled armor from head to toe, protecting her from the fire. The only thing exposed was her eyes and nose, which she shielded with her arms. Quicker than the eye could trace, Tsuyoi was posed in front of Head Lady Chizu, hand outstretched before the lizard could draw another breath. " _Burakku Kokuyoseki Tsume_! Earth Dragon Black Obsidian Talon," she growled, and her left hand was completed encased in a giant black claw made of shimmering black scales, sealing itself all the way up to her elbow. She adjusted her grip so that all five claws were pressed around Chizu's face, digging every so slightly into her neck. So much as a twitch, and Tsuyoi would tear the old biddy's head off her shoulders.

"Well played," Chizu chuckled, her voice muffled. Tsuyoi became aware of a sharp prod on her stomach. She glanced down. A black tail with the end tipped in a sword-sharp scale was pressed against her stomach. Any wrong move and that blade could rip through Tsuyoi's intestines.

"Tch!" Tsuyoi clenched her teeth. _She used Forbidden Earth Scorpion Tail! I should have been prepared!_

"Stalemate," Head Lady Chizu announced.

Tsuyoi backed away, still bristling. "You know how much I hate you," she growled furiously, rage bubbling beneath her skin. Her dairokkan flared, lighting up the room. Her dragon talon glowed too, an eerie, pale green. _Noroi!_ She inwardly seethed. _I'm breaking my Dragon Spirit's Seal! I gotta get out of here before I open the seal completely._

"Yes, I feel it every time we spar like this." Chizu grinned. "But don't worry, all your problems will disappear when you fall to the will of the Earth Dragon King."

"Not bloody likely," Tsuyoi whirled away, letting her giant claw melt into nothingness. "I'm leaving."

"To speak with those outsiders, I presume? You know that's against the rules."

Tsuyoi turned her head slightly so Chizu could spot the fire in her eyes. The Head Lady's grin shrunk a couple centimeters. "It wouldn't be the first time. We both know this."

"Why don't you stay a little longer, Tsuyoi? I do enjoy having your company," Chizu invited, patting the pillow beside to her like a sweet elderly grandmother.

"I don't have anything else to say to you, demon." Tsuyoi pulled the sliding door open.

"Demon, huh? I like the sound of that," Chizu cackled. The Head Lady's laughter followed her all the way down the hallway.


	3. Harmonious Spirit

Tsuyoi stood outside the meeting room, anger still boiling like a lava pool under her skin. She rested her back against the wall and allowed her head to rest on it, resisting the overwhelming urge to go back inside the room and break Chizu's skull open like an egg. Her hands clenched and unclenched involuntarily, and she shook with unchecked aggression. A growl that didn't belong to a human, but a monster, rattled in her throat, and her dairokkan glared in the dark hallway. Tears poured down her face.

 _I want to kill that demon! I want to tear her into pieces!_ Her thoughts started spiraling out of control. _Kill Chizu!_

 _I hate her! She's made me suffer for years and I did nothing wrong!_ Memories flashed in her mind's eye; one from so long ago, when the sky seemed gray and the rain had fallen pitter patter on the stone wall. Chizu had called her name, and little Tsuyoi heeded her call and entered the courtyard. And then...that man's body...stretched out under the sky like an animal's corpse. His eyes had bore into hers, and Chizu had handed Tsuyoi one of her blades and pointed. At the man. A black line had marked his chest, a broad X.

"No!" The word tore itself loose from Tsuyoi's throat, leaping out of her chest and into the stale air of the hallway. Tsuyoi slid down until her bum met the floor, burying her hands in her thick mane of hair. The animal screams coming from her mind weren't hers, but the Dragon Spirit inside her. It fought against Tsuyoi's control, thrashing and crashing into the confines of its cage. Tsuyoi bit back a scream as the beast struggled.

 _I hate her! Kill Chizu! Rip her guts out!_ It's thoughts were louder and clearer than Tsuyoi's, and it was all she could do to keep it contained. Her dairokkan flared and glowed harshly, so bright it burned Tsuyoi's skin. Black scales started to crystallize and grow on her skin, creeping up her hands and around her shoulders. She felt her sharp canines elongate, reaching her bottom lip. Her hair rose above her head, and a circle started opening in the floor beneath her, glowing with green light.

 _No! It's the second gate!_ Tsuyoi thought, her consciousness trashing for control. _Close! Close right now!_

 _Kill Chizu now!_ It roared loud, shattering her concentration. Just when Tsuyoi thought she was going to lose control, that boy Naruto's grin appeared in her mind. It was way off in the distance, but she could see it. Tsuyoi stiffened, seeing the brightness of his hair in her mind's eye. _Thanks._ His voice. She reached out and focused on him, breathing deeply until her hands had stopped trembling.

 _Don't give in, you idiot,_ she scolded herself. _If your Dragon Spirit breaks out, everyone in this monastery is in trouble._ She cupped her hands over her chest, making a circle, and breathed in again, focusing her wa.

 _"Your harmonious spirit is your connection to the earth," Lady Hayate's voice instructed in her head. "You can use your heightened sense of reiki for various things, like healing or finding weaknesses in your enemies. But for the Dragon Queen, your wa is your greatest weapon, because you use it to control your Dragon Spirit."_

Tsuyoi remembered her predecessor's words fondly. Their time together had been short, but Tsuyoi treasured Lady Hayate's memory always, keeping her close to her heart. Thinking about her predecessor made her calm down, but she had to admit...thinking of Naruto helped a little, too. Okay, maybe a lot. _He's different. I didn't know people like him even existed. People who were so...so real, and so strong. Solid._

Shaking her head, she pushed herself away from the wall and headed through the bare monastery, towards the west wing where Naruto and his companions were.

"This is it," Tsuyoi breathed to herself, standing in front of the door. Voices were talking quietly, urgently inside, and Tsuyoi envied them. _Talking must be easy. At least for them. I, on the other hand, haven't spoken to another human being in almost ten years._ Well, besides her patrons. But Lady Tomoe and Lady Fukuo didn't talk much at all, and Head Lady Chizu was a nutcase. And Tsuyoi wasn't even sure she was human. "Here I go," she said, reaching up with a hand to knock on the door frame.

The talking ceased inside, falling as quiet as the hallway. There was the creaking of a bed, and slow footsteps. Tsuyoi concentrated. The steps came steadily, but belonged to someone lean and tall. It wasn't the girl, and it couldn't be Sai. He was too short. _And it's not Naruto, either, he's too built. It must be Kakashi._

The door slid open, and Kakashi stood there, his mask still on. _Does he wear it all the time?_

"Yes, I do, actually," he answered her question. Her eyes widened in surprise, and he smiled. "Can I help you?"

"Oh, I, um..." Tsuyoi's voice came from her hurriedly, like a bird awkwardly trying to take flight. She cleared her throat. "I-I wanted to talk to Naruto. Um, to a-apologize? I'm sorry for hurting him and I w-wanted to-"

Kakashi held up a hand. "Say no more. Naruto's sleeping right now."

"Oh, already? Okay, I'll just-"

"But," Kakashi said pointedly, drawing her attention back to him. "You're welcome to come in, if you like."

"Okay," Tsuyoi beamed, thankful for his graciousness. She followed him into the small room. Like the rest of the monastery, it was pretty but seemed empty of life and flourish. The color scheme was pink and purple, like flowers blooming in the spring, but the stiff lines and sharp corners in the room made it seem fake. Tsuyoi was glad the patrons let her decorate her own room.

Sai and Sakura looked up in surprise when she turned the corner. They were both kneeling on the floor, a large map spread before them. Sakura smiled and lifted a hand to wave. Tsuyoi smiled back uneasily and waved back. Then a thought struck her.

"Chizu doesn't have you all cramped in this one room, does she?" Tsuyoi asked, appalled.

"No, no, no," Kakashi waved his hands, calming her down. "We each have our own room. We just gathered here to discuss our next steps." He gesturing to the map.

"Good." Tsuyoi crossed her arms, puffing twin jets of smoke through her nostrils. Then she looked around, suddenly aware of where she was. "Sorry," she apologized. Then she looked down at her clothes, wondering if what she was wearing was appropriate for meeting strangers. She wore her standard hunting outfit-a short burnt red sleeveless shirt that ended below her navel and a red skirt, slitted on both sides up to her waist. She never wore shoes, she reasoned, and if this pale skinned boy can have his whole stomach out, so could she. She eyed Sai's outfit, wondering if he felt even remotely comfortable in what he was wearing. Then she spotted Naruto, sprawled on the bed.

"Oh, no," she gasped.

Kakashi followed her gaze. "He's got a slight fever," he said softly, nodding. "I think he let his wound get infected." The bandages around his neck were spotted in blood.

"I tried healing him, but he said he just wanted to sleep," Sakura shrugged. Tsuyoi could see the worry in her eyes. The blame was on Tsuyoi and she knew it, even if it had been in self-defense. The unspoken accusation hung in the air, just beyond everyone's heads, and she was determined to do something about it.

"I can do it." Tsuyoi declared. She sat on the edge of the bed, Sakura standing to join her.

"You're a healer?" Sakura asked, intrigued.

"I can do some healing," Tsuyoi answered, wincing at her understatement. _I can heal any wound there_ _is, no matter how bad,_ she thought. _But only in a certain window of time, and only if the injured person's wa is open to me._ She shaped her hands in a circle and placed them on his neck wound, encircling the spots of blood. Sakura lifted her hands and they glowed green. Tsuyoi's eyes widened slightly.

"I don't know exactly what you're doing, but I think I can trust you," Sakura smiled. "I'll try to help any way I can."

Tsuyoi sensed the quiet threat in her words, but it didn't bother her. Sakura was just protecting a friend. _A friend_ , Tsuyoi mused, her brain drifting to the Time Before. In memory, she pictured a little boy and girl, her old friends from the village, before she was Chosen and stolen away to this godforsaken monastery. Tsuyoi could barely suppress an eye-roll. _Anyplace Chizu resides for more than five minutes is immediately placed in the category of "godforsaken."_ Turning to Sakura, she asked; "Is Naruto vain, in any way? Mean? Cruel?" She let her dairokkan open and began channel reiki into her hands. They glowed a dark green, lush like an oak tree's leaves. The energy circled her arms in shimmering arcs and loops, and she couldn't help but feel a little pleased that Sakura and the others were so awestruck by something that was she was doing. Even if she had never done it before.

Sakura's surprise showed on her face. "What do you mean?"

"The way my healing works is probably different from your's," Tsuyoi said. "I can tap into a person's wa, or their harmonious spirit with the earth. You know, the people around them, their actions. If someone is restless or lying, I can usually tell. But anyway, the person's wa that I'm trying to heal has to be pure, or I can't do anything."

"Well to answer your question, no, Naruto isn't vain or cruel. Truth be told, he is very brave, if not a little dumb." Sakura said it so plainly, it must be obvious when Naruto wasn't passed out from an infected wound.

"Okay, I should be able to work freely then," Tsuyoi said, steeling herself. Another side effect of tapping into wa was that it was very taxing on her physical body. A lot of the training she'd endured was reiki-control based. It had taken her years to amass the amount of life energy needed to perform any healings. Regular people couldn't even hack it. For Tsuyoi, it had just been a matter of genes and natural ability. "Now this takes a lot out of me," she explained, pressing her right fist into her left palm. She could feel Sai and Kakashi hovering at her shoulder. "Your job is to steady me. If my body starts acting weird, like convulsing or something, you just...I don't know, smack me or something. But if all goes well, it'll just look like I'm sleeping sitting up." She felt a little awkward, issuing orders to a perfect stranger.

Sakura didn't even blink. Instead, she nodded, serious. She had been through difficult, unstable situations like this before; Tsuyoi could see it in the gleam in her eye and the tension in her shoulders. She, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel a little excited. She'd sensed a kind of closeness to Naruto, one that she couldn't explain to herself. They were cut from the same cloth, brewed by the same tea master. It was just a matter of _how_. And now she was about to find out.

Closing her eyes, Tsuyoi released a mass of reiki into the room, for her to draw from later. "Dairokkan Pillar Three! Dragon Soul Infinite Healing!" Her tattoos blazed, a mini storm forming around her, whipping green wind and light. Then it settled into a dull glow, pressing around her frame. She slumped over, her brain succumbing to the warm, murky darkness of Naruto's harmonious spirit.


	4. Kindred Souls

She was walking. No, wait...floating? No...maybe just...drifting. There was no destination. No point of origin. Just voices and images scudding along around her, going about their business. She was the trespasser. She was not sure if she was welcomed, but the pieces of soul about her did nothing to stop her. She was only aware of her own self, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She was too disoriented to sense much farther.

Then she was on her feet, standing. Hadn't she been on her feet before? She could not recall, but there was solid ground beneath her now, and she wasn't in any position to argue that point with herself at the moment. Something else was there.

It was massive. It-no, _he-_ towered above her, eyes gleaming. Nine tails licked the air around him, fanned out about him like a peacock's spread. He stood impossibly tall, with powerful limbs and a gigantic array of magnificent teeth. He was some kind of fox-like creature and held an aura of power about him that both frightened and intrigued her. His eyes weren't friendly, though, and it made the trespasser wonder what she had done wrong.

"Who are you?" he growled, his voice echoing in the space. Before she could find her voice or even her name, an earth-shattering roar ripped through the air behind her. She turned and was almost scared out her skin. It was a dragon, matching the tailed creature in size. The green-and-black scaled monster roared again, in warning. This creature was as equally impressive as the fox, but she had a feral way about her, something that the trespasser felt kinship with. The dragon roared again, emanating power and raw strength into the atmosphere. It radiated outward, washing over the trespasser and making her feel comforted.

 _Stay away from my Queen!_ The beast was saying. Tsuyoi-yes, that was her name-could hear the words clearly. Then it hit her-it was her Dragon Spirit. Shock stunned her out of her confusion; everything sharpened to a point in her mind. Why she was here, and whose mind she was inside.

 _This fox...belongs to Naruto?_ She looked back at the creature, who opened his jaws to roar back. Then he froze. He narrowed his eyes, and drilled his gaze into the dragon's. Tsuyoi's Dragon Spirit calmed, and stared back. A silent conversation took place between them then, and they'd seemed to have reached a compromise.

"You'd better not do anything to harm Naruto," the fox growled, looking back down at Tsuyoi. "Or I'll kill both of you."

The dragon rumbled a warning. Then the fox and the dragon both vanished, and Tsuyoi was left staring at a massive tree-like network of blue light. The tendrils intertwined and seemed to dance around one another. Each branch led to another and stretched as far as Tsuyoi could see.

 _I just have to find the place where his wa is broken_ , Tsuyoi thought. Or maybe she said it aloud, she didn't know. Being inside someone else's mind wasn't something she was used to. She was floating again, and she made a swimming motion to propel herself forward. _Noroi!_ She seethed. _I hate this. That shinobi's gonna pay me back for this, even if I was the one who hurt him to begin with._ Finally, she found it. Or, at least she thought she had found it. This part of the blue web had a broken tendril, and it was a sickly, shriveled green. She placed her hands on it and let her hands fill with the reiki she'd scattered around before entering Naruto's mind.

In no time, she'd healed the broken tendril, and it was healthy and blue again. She guided the severed tendril to another one close by, and let it merge again.

"Wow, I actually did it," she breathed. "Now I can-" She paused. Off to her left, where there was empty space, a small square of blue tinted light had opened and expanded into a large screen. Puzzled, Tsuyoi drifted closer, her feet touching the ground again.

"This must be one of his memories," she mused as images began to flicker across the lights. It reminded her of the motion pictures the Mothers used to show when she was younger. There was a boy with yellow hair and blue eyes-Naruto. Another boy with darker hair and glasses and a girl with short brown pigtails chased him through a playground of sorts. It had ladders and strange tubes that arched from up high then, down to the ground. Tsuyoi had never seen them before, but the memory moved on. The sun was setting, and the other two kids' parents arrived to pick them up. When the girl's mother spotted Naruto, she grabbed her daughter's hand and wrenched her away.

"Osamu!" She scolded. "I thought I told you to stay away from that boy!"

"You too, Kowatera. You know he's," the boy's mother lowered her voice, "the demon boy." She raised her voice again. "Heaven forbid any of that demonic nonsense poisons you!"

Tsuyoi clenched her fists in anger. "Can't you see how much you're hurting him? He's just a kid!" She threw the words at the images from the past. The boy's eyes were sad, filled with pain and rejection. Naruto ran away from the playground, all the way to an apartment complex. "Yes, he's going to tell his parents." Tsuyoi felt a flash of satisfaction.

Young Naruto flung open the front door and stormed inside, to an empty kitchen. He ran past the table, cluttered with junk, to a bedroom and buried his face into a pillow. It slowly dawned on Tsuyoi-the boy had no parents. He was living by himself.

The anger flew up, fast and furious, and with a sudden jerk, she found herself back in her own body. Her eyes flew open and she let out a gasp. She slumped over, breathing laboriously. Sakura was there, her arm supporting her.

"You did it!" She announced. "The infection is shrinking."

"How...how long was I in there?" Tsuyoi croaked.

"Only about two minutes. Maybe less than that," Kakashi answered. "That was...interesting. Could you explain it to me?"

"Of course...let me just...catch my breath..." Tsuyoi held up her hands. "I need to finish this...first." She laid her hands on Naruto's neck. The boy was starting to come to. "I have to balance the energy before he wakes up."

"Dairokkan Release!" At her command, all the leftover reiki was drained from the air, back into Tsuyoi. Then she sucked the access reiki from Naruto. The blood disappeared from the bandages. Tsuyoi leaned back, her breath returning to her. "You'll want to replace the bandages." She pressed her hands to his throat. The scar was healing, closing up rapidly. "It'll be tender, and he shouldn't strain his head too much, but...he's good now."

"Wow," Sakura breathed in awe. "That was amazing."

Naruto opened his eyes suddenly, gasping just as Tsuyoi had done when she had come back. Their eyes locked, and they stared at each other for a moment. W _hat has he seen? Did I link us together when I went in there?_ Lady Fukuo had taught her about this. _When you heal someone, your wa intertwines with theirs momentarily. If the bond is strong, you create a yuimaru. A connection, a complete circle._

Naruto suddenly bolted, sitting up. Tsuyoi had still been putting pressure on his neck, and the contact opened the wound again. Blood spurted from it, a crimson arc through the air.

"What the heck are you doing?!" They both screamed at each other in unison.

"You idiot!" Tsuyoi brought her fist down on his head, hard. He shouted and collapsed back on the bed, moaning in pain. "Stop moving! I have to close the wound again."

"Be still!" Sakura tried to keep him still as he squirmed. Naruto paused, appraising her.

"Oh, Sakura, you're here. Good. Now hit this creepy lady in the head with a dresser drawer for me, will you?"

"What! I just healed you, you stupid foreign boy!" She brought her hand down again, this time slamming him in the chest. He gasped, winded. "And what do you mean, lady? Lady implies that I'm old and I'm probably older than you, you punk!"

Everyone else in the room laughed, and Tsuyoi felt a strange, new warm feeling travel through her. _This,_ she thought, breathless. _This is what I was missing._


	5. Outrun The Moon

Tsuyoi stayed and talked to the outsiders late into the night. She explained to a very intrigued Kakashi how the Harmonious Spirit Healing worked, and he surprised her by taking out a pad and scribbling down notes as she spoke.

Sai, speaking for the first time, stopped her with a question.

"What's reiki?"

Tsuyoi, startled by the pale boy suddenly talking, stared for a heartbeat. She'd been starting to think that Sai was mute or something. "W-well, I know _what_ it is but it's kind of hard to explain. Maybe you could ask Lady Tomoe-"

"Please try."

"O-okay." She took a deep breath. "People have a network system that works similar to your nervous system-"

"Oh, we know what that is!" Naruto cut in, loudly. He sat cross-legged on the bed, his wound freshly wrapped. "It's called chakra."

"C-chakra?" The word felt chunky and foreign to her tongue.

"Yeah, that's how we ninjas use ninjutsu! So you're saying reiki and chakra are the same things?"

"I don't know." Tsuyoi shrugged. "It sounds similar. Reiki means life energy. Every living life force has it, and only those of the Arakawa clan are able to control it. It's called the Dairokkan. It's my genkai kekkei."

"Like the Sharingan and the Byakugan?" Kakashi pressed.

"What's that?"

"If you don't know, then I'll tell you later. But it appears to me that we could learn a lot from each other, seeing as how we're stuck here until after you leave on your journey." Kakashi sat back, then a spark came to his eye. "So you're royalty, huh? Your Head Lady called you the Dragon Queen. Sounds pretty regal to me."

Tsuyoi grinned apologetically. "Not quite. I mean, you don't have to call me "Majesty" or anything. I'm just a figurehead."

"Really?" Kakashi asked.

"I do serve a purpose, but I don't hold any political power. I was chosen by the previous Queen to come here and master the Earth Dragon Arts. I basically stay here and build up power. Then when I turn seventeen..." Pain bit deep into her chest then as she remembered what her fate was to be in less than a week. _Dead..._ Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Naruto flinch and then wince. Her eyes widened. _Did I actually create a yuimaru? I wasn't sure before, but...if I did, this could be big trouble._

Instead of saying the dreadful words out loud, she shrugged. Kakashi got the message. "Well, I imagine you must be tired. You should sleep. We all should, actually." He said, gesturing to the dozing Sakura.

Tsuyoi stood, grateful for the shinobi's tactfulness. "Yeah, I am kind of tired. We can talk more tomorrow." She bowed awkwardly. " _Ulineun dasi mannal ttaekkaji._ "

"What does that mean?" Sai, again. His eyes were so piercing it unnerved her.

"Oh, sorry. It means "until we meet again" in my language. Old habits die hard, right?"

"Not at all." Sai actually smiled then, and Tsuyoi was even more unnerved. After bidding the company goodnight, she made move for the door.

"Wait."

Tsuyoi turned. Naruto was standing up from the bed. "Can I...come with? Just for a second? I need to stretch my legs."

"Uh, sure," she said, glancing at Kakashi, who gave a small nod. She held the door open and let him pass, then slid it closed. Much to her annoyance, she heard Sai and Kakashi exchange a chorus of chuckles as she did.

They walked through the quiet hallways, neither talking. The torches on the walls were lit, giving the passages an eerie amber light. Tsuyoi allowed herself a quick peek at Naruto. He'd wanted to keep the bandages on, even though all that was left of his wound was a faint pink scar. Heavens above, he was tall. At least an inch taller than her. _Stop being so dumb, you orokana shojo!_ Tsuyoi shook her head.

Naruto caught her stare and smiled a little. Tsuyoi looked away. "S-so...I wanted to say that I'm sorry, Naruto. For hurting you earlier."

"It's no biggie. You were only defending yourself. Don't worry about it."

The question was hanging in the air, and Tsuyoi desperately wanted to pluck it down and chuck it in the garbage. But he deserved to know. She opened her mouth to speak.

"I know you're wondering-"

"I wanted to ask you something-"

Their words ran into each other, stumbling over the other. They both paused, then laughed awkwardly. "You first," Naruto stopped walking and crossed his arms over his chest.

Now that his attention was on her, she felt flustered. "When I healed you...I may have done something that I wasn't supposed to do."

"What was that?"

Tsuyoi took a calming breath. The more she thought about the situation, the worse it seemed to her, the more crushing the weight of it felt. "When Master Kakashi was asking me questions, I had a thought, and you seemed to react to it. Did anything weird happen? A thought that didn't really seem like yours?"

"Yeah, there was, actually," he answered, sliding a hand up to rub the back of his neck.

"What was it?"

"Just one word. Dead. And then it felt cut off like it was being shut down intentionally." Naruto looked back down at her, his eyes taking a strange gleam beneath the candlelight. "It was your thought, wasn't it?"

Tsuyoi bit her lip. "I think I created a yuimaru between us when I healed you."

"A yuimaru? What's that?"

"It means connecting circle," she rattled off absentmindedly. "This is bad. I've never healed anyone else before, and I didn't know...and I don't know how to fix it. Naruto, this is really bad."

"I saw a memory of yours, I think." Naruto's words brought her out of her inner fervent prayers for how to fix the mess she'd put herself in. "When I was asleep."

"Tell me what happened." She said, pinning him with her eyes.

"I saw a little girl-she was you-and then that lady-what's her name, Chizu?-grabbed your wrist and pulled you away into a wooded place. Then she looked at you and said, "Ten years from now you will-"

"-be sacrificed to the Dragon King. You are going to die." Tsuyoi finished, leaning against the wall. "What did I do, Naruto?" A headache throbbed at the back of her head like it did when she used her dairokkan for too long.

"We're going to be here for a week, right? We have time to figure it out." Naruto crossed his arms behind his head, looking pretty lax for someone whose brain had just been linked to another human beings.

Tsuyoi, on the other hand, was losing it. "No, no, you don't understand. I'm not even supposed to _talk_ to you, much less _figure_ anything out. Noroi!" She seethed, running her hand through her hair. "I don't know what to do!"

"How about sleep? You are super tired. Things will look better in the morning." Naruto encouraged. The good-natured gleam in his eyes never left.

"How can you be so calm about this? How can you know about...my curse and still act like I'm a regular person?" Tsuyoi fretted, digging her hand further in her hair.

Naruto's hand flashed; Tsuyoi instinctively ducked, but she was too late. He had grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand out of her hair, gently yet firmly. "Stop worrying. You're making my head hurt with all of your emotions flying everywhere. You forgot that we're connected, or whatever, so I feel what you feel. Chill," he ordered. He didn't release his grip on her wrist. "You've seemed to forget that I harbor a Nine-Tailed Fox inside me. Kurama told me what happened earlier. I'm pretty sure I fall outside the standard for normal, too, so calm down."

Tsuyoi was paralyzed, his blue eyes pinning her green ones to a standstill. She gritted her teeth angrily, smoke started to drift from her mouth. It was a bad habit, but she was no mood to try and break anything right now, except maybe for this yellow-haired boy's head. She blinked, surprised. Why was she suddenly so angry? She let her eyes lower, not sure why she was spiking with all this unchecked emotion. She usually was pretty good at keeping her thoughts underwraps.

"You say you're not supposed to talk to us, but here we are. We _will_ figure this out." Naruto leaned closer, eyes boring into her's.

A feeling washed over her, one that was calming and sure. She had no choice but to believe him. An outsider. Someone who didn't belong. Actually, the more she described him, the more she thought about herself. _I guess we have more in common than I thought._

"Fine," she said, relenting. With a laugh, Naruto straightened, waving the smoke away from his face.

"That's so cool! How do you do that?" They started walking again, and Tsuyoi noticed she felt more at ease.

She shrugged in answer to his question. "I'm called the Dragon Queen for a reason."

"So dragons actually exist? I thought they were fairy tales." Naruto raised a brow.

Tsuyoi stiffened. "Why don't you look in my mind and find out, Hayride?" She said, the nickname coming out smoothly. When she was young, during the Harvest Festivals every year golems, giant earthen creatures made from the clay deposits near the forest, would pull the village's children in carts full of hay. Naruto's hair had rekindled the memory in her.

Naruto shrugged, but didn't push it. Tsuyoi felt a strange probing sensation, like someone was poking her. But Naruto's hands were both behind his head. She arched a brow at him and was gifted with one of his giant grins.

 _How is he so adept at this yuimaru thing anyway?_ She glanced up at the doorframes above to see where they had wandered in the vast monastery. They were in the north wing, near the library. Her room was still a ways away. She had been watching Naruto's movements, his pose. The way he held himself. He was someone who had fought for far too hard and long. Maybe in a war? _Like my father,_ she thought. She shook it away. Nevertheless, the answer to her question was obvious. _He must be used to fighting on the spiritual plane as well as the physical._

She froze. A familiar smell hit her nose. It was Lady Fukuo and Lady Tomoe, heading towards them. Going to their quarters, probably. Her room lay just up ahead, and if they were quick, they could make it inside before the patrons noticed them.

"Come on," she grabbed his hand and dragged him down the hallway. "Sairento Hoko. Earth Dragon Silent Roar," she whispered, using in an old Art command she'd learn long ago, blowing out the candles. She nudged the door opened with her foot, pulled Naruto into her room and shoved him into the shadows. She put a finger to her lips. "Quiet, Hayride."

She crouched beside the door and closed it, just to spook her patrons. She heard their panicked gasps and shot Naruto a grin in the dark. A moment later, a knock sounded, echoing loud and clear through the room.

"Lady Tsuyoi! Are you alright?" Lady Tomoe's voice came through, wrought with worry.

Tsuyoi suppressed a snicker and stood, opening the door. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. What's the problem, _eonni_?" She said, struggling to keep a straight face. She used the Lioditan word for "big sister", as she frequently did when she was pulling pranks on her patrons. They still hadn't caught on yet.

"We heard the door close and thought those outsiders had snuck in to kill you!" Lady Fukuo reached out a hand and cupped Tsuyoi's face. "We were worried!"

Tsuyoi pushed her hand away, now more annoyed than amused. "Well, I'm fine, okay?"

"Wait! You were with them, weren't you?" Tomoe accused. "It's against the rules to talk to them and you know it!"

"Whose rules, _eonni_? They're not mine, and I'll follow them when I feel like it!" Tsuyoi's hands clenched and her dairokkan tattoos crackled to life, angry. _This was just supposed to be a joke!_ "You can't stop me, and you have no more say in my life if _I_ say you do! You aren't the one who is going to be killed in a week!"

Tomoe and Fukuo flinched at her words. They both stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Tsuyoi's shoulders. "We would give anything to make that not happened, Tsuyoi. Just as it was with Hayate." Fukuo murmured, stroking her hair.

At the mention of her predecessor, Tsuyoi grit her teeth to keep her emotions at bay. "Shut up," she said halfheartedly. Sorrow crept up on her anger, threatening to give way.

"We loved her, and we love you, too. Don't you know how much that hurts us?" Tomoe added, her words choked with tears.

Tsuyoi snapped. "I said _SHUT UP_!" She shouted, stepping out of their embrace so her face was hidden in the shadows. "Actually, you know what, fine. Turn around then."

Tomoe and Fukuo looked startled. "What for, Tsuyoi?"

"If you were willing to do anything for me, then turn around and let me slap the Dragon Seal on the back of your neck!" Tsuyoi's face twisted in anger. "You think I don't know why you keep me trapped up here? So I can't give the Seal to someone if the pain gets UNBEARABLE!" She shouted, breathing hard. "See? Look at your damn faces. You're scared of me? Well, you should be. Now get out! Don't think for a single damn second you've understood how it feels!"

Tomoe rubbed her tears away, stepping back, but Fukuo reached for her again. Tsuyoi's eyes flashed in the dark. Her dairokkan suddenly went out, leaving the room dark.

"Did you not hear me? I. Said. Get. Out." Her voice was low, but she might have well screamed. Her words were layered with anger and defeat, low, gravely. Dangerous. " _Now_."

Fukuo and Tomoe jumped, eyes wide with fear. They bowed and hastily made their retreat. "Goodnight, Tsuyoi," Tomoe whispered before she closed the door softly.

"Noroi." Tsuyoi swore as she staggered, clutching her head.

Naruto was behind her in a flash, holding her upright. "Can you glow again, please? I can't see anything in here," he asked softly.

Tsuyoi swallowed raggedly and nodded. Usually she was able to see in the dark, but she was too weak to sharpen her legend. A moment later, her tattoos illuminated weakly, but just enough for Naruto to see by. He helped her to the bed in one corner and sat beside her. She breathed out a jet of flame, startling him. The fire lit the candles around the room as she turned her head in a slow arch. When they were all lit she was breathing laboriously, sweat breaking out on her forehead. Her dairokkan wavered and then vanished completely. Smoke trailed from her mouth.

 _How could I have done that? They said they loved me, and I was horrid to them._ She rested her hands on her thighs and bent over to clear the smoke from her chest. She felt Naruto's hand on her back, but the touch felt distant, like her mind was leaving her body as an empty husk behind. _I'm just like Chizu. No wonder I hate her so much. She's the one who made me like this, but really, I..._ She clenched her fists tightly, fighting back tears. _I just hate myself. I hate what I've turned into._ She closed her eyes, trembling. _Father would be ashamed of me._

Suddenly a strange humming filled her head. Familiar and warm, but strange all the same. She straightened, her chest mostly clear of smoke now. She glanced at Naruto. He was humming a song.

"What are you singing? What's that song?" She demanded.

Naruto blinked. "I don't know. It just came to my head." The happy glint was gone from his eyes now, replaced with concern and sadness. Tsuyoi's heart wrenched. "I don't know the words. Just the tune." He hummed it again.

Tsuyoi's jaw slackened with shock. Her and her father's old rhyme. "No...I forgot that song. The words. I forgot them. But the only way you could have gotten them is from my head." She screwed her eyes shut. _The words..._

Then they came. She heard it, just beyond her ear, tickling, teasing. His voice...their clapping...

 _Our bond between us is steady and strong, constant and true. And just like our bond, you can't outrun the moon._

"O-our song..." her voice cracked. Naruto's hand was on her back again. She looked up into his eyes, and was paralyzed by the tears that filled them. She let out a strangled gasp. _He's crying for me. Nobody...nobody's done that._

 _No,_ another voice chipped in. _Tomoe and Fukuo did._

Naruto smiled at her, soft and sad. _Speaking in my head?_ Tsuyoi's tears flowed freely after that.

Through her turmoil she a thought popped into her head. _Maybe you should name your Dragon Spirit._ Confused, Tsuyoi pushed the random thought away. Smoke had started filling her lungs again, and she let out a wet cough. The thought was washed away in a wave of anguish, physical and emotional. Her chest felt like it was on fire. She coughed louder, bending to clear the wispy black smoke out.

 _My heart is on fire_ , she screamed internally. _It hurts so bad...!_

Through it all, she cried for what she had lost and what she wasn't sure she would ever find again.


	6. Scorch Marks On The Wall

Naruto had left her, but she couldn't recall how long ago that had been. It must have been close to dawn now. Tsuyoi couldn't sleep. Memories filled her head, ones that she had been trying hard to forget. Ones she had buried deep and had never expected to resurface again. Naruto had proven that she had failed, that they were still there, hovering just below the surface, waiting for the right moment to pounce and cycle through the bittersweetness of their existence again. Memories were a plague.

Tsuyoi lay on her bed, the blanket pulled up to her chin. The candles had blown out, but the bright white moonlight was filtering through her window. Her bedroom walls were now decorated with a fresh layer of scorch marks, from the moments when her anger was too much to handle inside. Tomoe and Fukuo had learned long ago to not try and prevent her from ruining the walls, because the only time they'd enforced the "now breathing fire inside the monastery" rule, their prized _kaneshon_ flowers had been burned to a crisp. Tsuyoi held in an unexpected giggle at the memory. She felt a deep pang of remorse for snapping at her patrons. _I'll apologize tomorrow._ _Or maybe,_ she thought again, looking at the light creeping across the floor. _Later today..._

She wasn't sure what time it was.

Her eyes slipped closed for the briefest of moments, but yet she still found herself in a dream. Dreams were a plague as well.

Seven-year-old Tsuyoi slid down from the tree's branches and onto the thatched roof. Crouching in the shadows, she pricked her ears, waiting for her opponent to emerge. She tightened her grip on her _tekkan_ , her pulse pounding in her skull. This was what she lived for-the thrill of chase and the hum of anticipation, the clash of blades in battle. _Heavens above, this is fun._

Wait. There it was. Her muscles tightened, trembling with energy. Her adversary had arrived. He stepped hesitantly, knowing she was nearby. _C'mon, just a little closer._ He stepped again; the wood creaked beneath him. _One more step..._

 _Now!_ She shot forward, her feet moving too fast for the naked eye to see. She swung her tekkan down in a power arc; her opponent could barely unsheath his _hachiwari_ before she was upon him. She strained for a moment longer, then sprung back, slashing at his ankles in one fluid move. Their blades clashed; sparks flew as the steel screamed against one another. Tsuyoi pressed him closer to the edge of the roof, taking in his stance, his sword stroke, his reach, all at once. _He's tiring_ , she analyzed. _His left arm is weakening_. Tsuyoi knew her oppenent well. He was a good two inches taller than her She spun her tekkan over her head, letting go of the hilt and spinning with her palms. His eyes widened in surprise. There! She grabbed the blade, ignoring the bite of pain as she cut herself. She swept a foot behind his left, keeping herself out of range from his stronger right hand. She slammed the hilt of her sword onto his chest, knocking the wind from him and sending him pinwheeling backward. She grabbed his collar and spun her blade into her hand again, closing around the roughened hilt. She pressed the tip of her tekkan against his throat. It was over. She won.

"I got you, Takumi," she rasped, breathing hard. The older boy hung precariously on the edge of the roof; the only thing keeping him from tumbling to the ground was her grip on his shirt. If he moved forward, her sword would pierce his throat, and if he leaned away from it, he would fall off the roof completely. Stalemate.

"Okay, okay, you won," he conceded, irritated. He tried wiggling his hachiwari, but Tsuyoi had dug her elbow into the inside of his, rendering him immobile. He grinned at her. "You got me good."

She stepped back, pulling them both upright. She squatted, trying to slow her breathing and her racing heartbeat. Her vision swam.

"You get too excited, you _orkana sonyeo_." He crouched beside her, laying a hand on her back. "Even if you did go to war, you could kill everyone on the battlefield without getting a scratch and then die from over-excitement. Does such a condition even exist?" Takumi teased, trying to ease her burden a little.

"Shut up," Tsuyoi snapped at her friend. "Or you and I can have a punch-up when I get my breath back."

Takumi lifted one shoulder in a shrug, halfheartedly.

"Hey, you _michin ai_! Get off my roof, _gaichu_!" An old lady with gray wisping in her green hair came out of her house with a broom.

"Did she just call me crazy?" Tsuyoi stood. "Who're you calling vermin, you old hag? Take a bath!" She shouted down at her.

The old woman erupted in cursing and threats. "I ought to report you to the Headman!"

"My father _is_ the Headman, you crone!" Tsuyoi spat, angry. She leaped off the roof. "So leave me alone!"

"Tsuyoi. Takumi. What are you doing? Come away from there at once!" Masashi Himekawa, Tsuyoi's father and Headman of Liodito and Master of the Golem Guild, walked toward them, seeming to appear from the shadows. In truth, he had been watching them train the whole time.

"M-my apologies, Headman Himekawa," the woman said as she bowed and scraped before the leader of the village.

"No worries. In fact, it is my daughter should apologize," he said, giving Tsuyoi a pointed glare.

She crossed her arms and poked out her bottom lip. "Gomen'joesonghabnida," she apologized in Lioditan. She spun on her heel and stalked away, Takumi following her hastily.

"Sorry, miss." Tsuyoi heard her father add his own apology behind her, but she didn't stop to look. She brushed past Takumi when he tried to stop her. "You stop right there." He called after her.

She obeyed grudgingly. "You need to calm down, Tsuyosugiru," he ordered, using his nickname for her. It meant "too strong", a play on her original name. When Tsuyoi didn't respond, he gestured to Takumi. "You may go home."

"Yessir." Takumi scrambled away, and Tsuyoi felt a sudden ache in her chest. She clenched her cut hand tight to hide the blood.

CRAAACK! Masashi planted his fist on the top of her head. Hard.

"OWWW! Noroi, Father! Itaidesu," Tsuyoi yelped, gripping her head with her free hand.

"Let's go home," Masashi said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. As they walked down the street, he hummed the song that Nanao, Tsuyoi's long dead mother, had made for them before she passed. "...and just like our bond, you can't outrun the moon."

Tsuyoi never showed Masashi the cut in her hand.

Sixteen-year-old Tsuyoi woke with tears in her eyes. She thrust the cover away and stood. Time to shake of this sadness. Time to get up and do something. If Naruto thought there was a way to fix this, she had no choice but to believe him.

She glanced at the scorch marks on the wall. It was time to take action.


	7. Dragon Awakening

The night seemed to last forever. It was like ages were passing in the few hours left of the evening. For the longest time, Tsuyoi just sat and stared at her reflection. She took in her hair and eyes and her fangs and let smoke fill the air. It had been a long time since she'd cried. And now she had, in front of a complete stranger. The same day she'd met him. She felt like she had resolved herself earlier, thought she'd pushed past this. Now the pain was creeping back and she let herself sink into her bed.

She buried her hands in her hair, bending over on her knees. "Father...I'm sorry. I've failed you in every way. I'm weak. I let you down." She tried desperately not to wail, but her voice rose in spite of her determination. "Father...Mother..."

She let herself sob, but these were gentle and silent, unlike her choking wails from before. These sobs came from the inside, from a broken soul. Her heart was broken, as it had been ever since the day her father came home from the war without her mother. She had tried fixing it on her own, by picking up a tekkan and learning to fight with Takumi. Then her father died and left her to the Mothers. There, she'd met Hiromu and all her friends, and her heart had begun to heal itself, until Hayate descended upon Liodito and Chose her to join a legacy she wasn't sure she'd believed in, delivering her into the hands of the demon that was Chizu. Now here she was, clinging to a stranger that was just like her, who understood her sorrow. Who had gone through fire and come out stronger than iron.

"I want to be like Naruto, Father," she said aloud, through her tears. "Is that wrong? I trust him because he is just like me. Actually," she croaked, her voice breaking. "He's just like you."

When the sobs subsided, golden light had begun to drift through the windows at last. She stood from the bed, gazing at herself in the mirror again. Her canines were sharp, and her green dairokkan markings stood out against her brown skin. Her spiky green hair cascaded down her back. Her eyes shone. But... _Who is this person? What is her name?_

"I'm Tsuyoi Arakawa," she said meekly. She pressed her hand against the mirror, concealing half of her face. "Right?"

"Lady Tsuyoi? Your breakfast is ready," Lady Tomoe's voice came through the door a few hours later.

"I'm coming," Tsuyoi called back. She tightened the strap on her katanas' sheath across her back and stood. Her wild green hair was pulled back in a ponytail and it swung against her shoulder as she strode quickly towards the door and slid it open. Lady Tomoe stood on the other side, looking nervous.

"Tsuyoi...?" Tomoe took in her attire-a simple black bodysuit, lightweight and durable, that went up to her neck and down to her ankles, leaving her shoulders bare. Bandages were wrapped around her arms, down to her wrists. She wore no shoes. Tomoe took one look at her clothes and the weapons strapped to her back, and her eyes went wide. "What are you planning on doing, Tsuyoi?"

Tsuyoi crossed her arms and then froze. She was looking down at her patron. _When did I get taller than her?_ "I-I'm not going to eat today. Give Naru...the outsiders breakfast instead," she said, avoiding naming them. She had been present when they'd introduced themselves. Now she wouldn't have to directly say that she'd spoke to them. "And tell them to meet me in the southern training field at noon."

Tsuyoi brushed past Tomoe and headed briskly down the hall, not even turning when she heard the woman's quiet sobs. But her heart broke a little more.

Tsuyoi headed into the library. The massive oak-themed room, with its rafters stretching up into the sky, had always seemed stifling to her, so she stayed away from it as much as possible. For a moment she thought she spotted Fukuo flitting among the shelves, but she was gone and Tsuyoi didn't have time to look for her. She made a beeline for the shelves in the back, and pulled an old dusty scroll from the highest shelf. It was titled, _Dragon Queen Artisan Manual._

"Who the heck named this?" She muttered. She turned it over. _Asuna Hoshi_ was written along the side. "Oh." _The first Dragon Queen._ She pulled it open and scanned through. There.

"Dragon Daughter Mode."

After grabbing a few more scrolls, she took them all back to her room. Tomoe was long gone. Tsuyoi crossed the room, opened her old oak chest, and locked them all, except the _Artisan Manual,_ inside it.

Tsuyoi strode across the empty fields, relishing the feeling of the sun warming her back through her shirt. She was lost in thought. Memories kept flooding her, one after the other. Memories she had sworn to never relive, never even think of again. Chizu had urged her to let go of the past, and to look to the future as the Dragon Queen. Over time, Tsuyoi had folded. Thinking of Queens, she glanced down at the scroll she'd retrieved from the library.

Asuna Hoshi had written this after she'd perfected the original Earth Dragon Arts, and she had uncovered the first three forms of complete Dragon Manifestation; Dragon Daughter Mode, Dragon Warrior Mode, and Dragon Conquerer Mode. Tsuyoi had written the powers off at first, thinking she'd never need to use them. But now she was curious.

 _Can I actually use Dragon Daughter Mode?_ She pondered as she walked. The only two Queens who had ever needed to use it before was Kazama Uryu, the Fourth, and Hayate Ai, the Sixth. Kazama used it during her reign to punch through a mountain to create a passageway for trade routes, and Hayate used it during the First Lioditan War to annihilate her enemies. _It seems you need either to have reached peak or have extreme physical strength._ Tsuyoi looked up into the clear blue sky, free of clouds. _But I'm not strong. Not on the inside. Besides, I'm far from reaching peak anyway._

Suddenly, her sixth sense twitched. She leaned to the right just as something small and black flew past her ear, neatly clipping a strand of hair from Tsuyoi's cheek. She shifted her weight to glance behind her, where she was sensing Naruto's wa. But he was gone.

"Boo!"

Tsuyoi's reflexes acted; she spun, her fist flashing. She caught him square in the jaw. His head snapped backward and he tumbled to the ground, a red bruise forming on his cheek. Tsuyoi leaned over him.

"Are you okay, Hayride? Sorry." She said simply.

"I fink I'm awight," he mumbled, dazed. Tsuyoi stepped over him and continued to walk. Kakashi appeared at her side, but Tsuyoi had already sensed him.

"You have good reflexes," he observed.

"What is this? I've never seen it before," she asked, pulling the black object from the bark of a nearby tree. Why Naruto had thrown this at her, she would never understand. Maybe Kakashi had done it.

"A kunai knife. You've never seen it before?" He asked, coming to stand beside her.

"I just said that."

Then his shoulder flexed, a black blur. He was swinging at her.

Tsuyoi caught his fist, a breath away from her face. She gazed burning fire at him, meeting his eyes. Kakashi simply stared back coolly, not backing down for a moment. He was testing her. Tsuyoi relaxed some; she wasn't in immediate danger. Then Tsuyoi twitched. For a brief heartbeat, Kakashi's wa was opened to her. Tsuyoi's hand gripped his tighter, trembling slightly.

This man was a seasoned warrior, hardened through years of experience and pain. But there was joy there, happiness that swept through her, as fierce and proud as a thunderstorm. Tsuyoi let go, startled by the strength of his emotions and his passion and conviction. She backed a half-step away, only to bump into another person.

It was Sai, and his wa opened to her as well. Tsuyoi didn't have time to ponder why her awareness was so tender, because she was swamped by a stale, cool emptiness. This collected personality of Sai's ad been instilled with training, but there was warmth tucked around its corners. He was still learning how to come out of his shell and be himself, his own person, but he hadn't quite gotten the hang of it. Tsuyoi was also embarrassed to find that he found her interesting. Whatever that meant.

Tsuyoi stepped away from them, careful not to bump into anyone else. Sakura jumped down from the trees, rushing to Naruto. "What did you do, you fool?" she demanded. Naruto answered with a moan of pain.

Tsuyoi ignored the comical exchange and moved away, heading along the path. "You're all here? Good. Follow me, please." She turned and did not look back, heading down the path towards the southern training field. She heard their footsteps crunching behind her, and the chattering between Sakura, and Naruto, with Sai chiming in every once and awhile, but that wasn't all she was hearing. She heard the birds' feathers rustle, and the squirrels' claws clack on bark, high above her She could smell the tsukemono on Naruto's breath and see the tiniest lines on the green leaves. The scale of sound in which her stomach growled reverberated in her ears a hundred fold. _What is going on with me?_ She walked on, her senses sharpening with every step. Soon, even breathing felt like a thunderstorm was rolling through her head. Usually, she could sharpen her senses on command, but they were spiraling out of control. Naruto and Sakura were shouting at each other now, their words amplified until it felt like they were going to crush her skull.

"Shut up!" She whirled around. They all fell silent, startled. Tsuyoi faltered, then cleared her throat. "Sorry. I, um, brought you out here to help me train. Is that okay?" She asked quietly. She winced as the breeze picked up, stirring the leaves on the trees. The sound was deafening. She avoided Naruto's gaze, hoping that he couldn't look in her thoughts and find out what she was thinking. Or what he was feeling.

"I think that's fine," Kakashi answered, putting his hands in his pockets. "How do you usually train?"

"She spars with me every day. She trains like she's fighting for her life," another voice replied. Chizu stepped out from the shadows of the trees to Kakashi's right. "Is this the way of the shinobi as well?"

"Where did she come from?" Naruto yelped, jumping. "And how can you fight Tsuyoi? You're so old!" He rubbed his cheek, remembering her punch.

"Quiet, you idiot!" Sakura planted a fist on top of his head, shutting him up.

"Of course," Kakashi answered coolly. "How did you think we fought in four different wars?"

"Even monkeys fall from trees, Kakashi-san," Chizu strode to stand beside Tsuyoi. "I want to oversee this bout, to assess her progress. Actually, she isn't supposed to be speaking to outsiders, which I just caught her in the act of doing. It's against the rules, but I think I can find it in my heart forgive her - if she can prove she can stand her ground against a formidable opponent whose fighting abilities and style she had yet to witness. It can be a learning experience for all of us."

Tsuyoi grit her teeth. Chizu had such a silver tongue! In a few short sentences, she'd let the outsiders know that she had been breaking the rules by speaking to them and putting them into a box by making them feel beholden to fighting her so she wouldn't get in trouble. Then she'd offered praise and then collective gain in the mix. " _Seoltange shita_ ," she muttered, calling Chizu a sugar tongue.

Chizu smirked and then returned her gaze to Kakashi. "Well? Shall the bout begin?"

Kakashi nodded and stepped off the smooth grass to stand among the trees to give them space.

"Wait!" Tsuyoi called as Chizu started to walk towards Kakashi. She winced again. She didn't know why her wa was so tender or why her senses were so sharp it physically pained her, but it was ticking her off. And it was getting worse. _How the hell am I going to do this?_ "Are we fighting one on one?" She asked hopefully.

"No. I think you can handle the three of them." Chizu replied offhandedly.

"No way!" Naruto spoke up.

Again, Sakura thwacked him. "Will you be quiet?"

"Hand to hand combat or weapons? Can I use my reiki art?" Tsuyoi asked, nervous. She cringed at Sakura's voice. She felt unsure and unsteady. Usually, the thought of battle thrilled her, but having Chizu watch added an element Tsuyoi hadn't prepared for.

"You came out here to fight, didn't you? Why so nervous?" Chizu taunted. "Just win, you idiot. Use any means necessary."

"Fine." Tsuyoi spun around to face her opponents. Naruto was standing at the forefront, with Sakura and Sai flanking him. Sakura had pulled black gloves over her hands, and Sai had his hands hovering over a backpack around his waist.

"You are to fight as if you are fighting a battle in war." Chizu announced grandly. "You are enemies of each other's countries. Hold nothing back. Use your powers to the fullest." She was gazing at Naruto as she said this.

 _She must have sensed Kurama inside him. No wonder she's egging them on,_ Tsuyoi thought. She analyzed them briefly. She knew Naruto's power, but Sai and Sakura she had not had much contact with. She focused on them, dissecting them with her eyes. Even though she hadn't planned on using her Dairokkan, she coaxed it to life, letting it hum softly. She sensed monstrous strength radiating from Sakura and deadly skill and precision from Sai. _They make a good team. I'll attack first to see how they react and get a better grip on their abilities._ She tensed her shoulders and lifted her fists. She tried blocking out all the other extreme sounds that were swamping her, but she couldn't suppress them completely. She felt something shift within her, something wake up. It stretched its limbs and prepared to fight. Her Dragon Spirit.

"Let's go," she murmured under breath. She felt strange talking to an energy source, but her Dragon Spirit responded, adding its strength to her body. Tsuyoi glanced down, startled. That had never happened before.

"Begin!" Chizu's voice echoed in her ears.

Tsuyoi dodged when Sai attacked. _Damn it! They had the same thought I did!_ She brought her head down low to dodge, rolling her shoulders before springing backward. She had barely planted her feet before he came at her again, fists flashing like rays of sunlight. Tsuyoi blocked each hit, focusing intently on his eyes. Then her foot slipped in a dip in the earth. She faltered, arms pinwheeling.

"Whoa!" She gasped as his hand brushed her cheek. She was on the defensive. _I gotta turn it around!_ She sprang back again, watching how his body responded. He was hanging back, wary.

She let him come at her again, but this time she swung first, sidestepping and hitting him hard with a left hook. Her fist connected with his jaw, snapping his head hard to one side. Blood erupted from his mouth.

Tsuyoi didn't give him time to react. She was on top of him again, hitting him with a right hook. While he staggered, she slipped a foot behind his right leg and slammed both fists into his chest, unbalancing him. He landed on his butt in the grass.

Another hand flashed towards her face from her right. Tsuyoi flashed her elbow out to knock the blow aside, stepping over Sai. She turned and barely avoided another gloved fist at her face. She spun away. Sakura's fist struck the earth behind her. To Tsuyoi surprise, she leveled the ground within a meter radius of where she stood. _Such monster strength!_ Tsuyoi stepped back, raising her fists again. _I can take a hit, but a couple of those will have me down for the count. And even one will definitely break some bones._

Sakura's fighting style was different. She focused power-what did Naruto call it, chakra?-into her fists to increase her strength upon contact with her opponent. Last night she'd mentioned that she was a medic-maybe it was her job to stay out of the fighting unless it was necessary. Sai had been down and was in danger of getting eliminated, so she stepped in. In doing so, she provided enough cover for her comrade to get himself out of harm's way while giving the enemy a new target, a distraction. _An effective tactic. It worked. Wait...where's Naruto?_

She heard the metal slicing through the air behind her. _There he is._ She spun to face, drawing a katana. She lifted it in just enough time to parry his attack as he descended from the sky, stopping the kunai within inches of her face. Tsuyoi felt herself break out into a grin. He had an energy to his fighting, so similar to hers. She felt herself getting excited, and the thing inside her responded, reaching up through her body.

She swung her blade away, forcing his arm away. "Come on, Naruto," she taunted, panting. Takumi had been right-she got way too excited when she was fighting like this. "I want to see how well you shinobi dance. No more holding back."

"You hear that, guys?" Naruto called over his shoulder, his grin rivaling Tsuyoi's. "No more holding back. Queen's orders."

The thrill of battle had drowned out their extreme senses, but she heard Naruto's heartbeat as steadily as if it were her own. She spun her sword to one hand and swung with a face to switch things up. He cracked her across the knuckles with the flat part of the kunai. Tsuyoi didn't even flinch. "Watch it, Hayride." She rushed him, swinging her katana down in a power arc. He blocked with his kunai, but Tsuyoi pressed harder, bringing her face close to his. So close, she noticed his eye flick to the side. She thrust her sword, pushing him away, spinning to parry Sai's blow with her elbow. Sai stepped back, and Tsuyoi instinctively ducked, feeling Sakura's fist past above her head. She barely had time to avoid Naruto's next counterattack. He aimed low, Sakura high.

 _Noroi! They've been fighting together for a long time! Their moves are in perfect sync!_ Tsuyoi sheathed her katana and stood on her hands in one smooth move. _I need some space!_ She spun on her hands, swinging her legs like a hurricane. " _Ishi No Uzu!_ Earth Dragon Stone Vortex!" Infusing reiki from her hands into the ground, she pushed with her mind. With a shout, a barrage of rocks rose from the earth, spinning in the same direction as she was. She roared and let the rocks fly in all directions around her. Naruto let out a shout of pain as a rock struck his shoulder. Sai and Sakura were well out of range, but Naruto was stuck right in the middle of the onslaught. Tsuyoi stood again, and thrust an arm outward. " _Kage Yajirushi!_ Earth Dragon Shadow Arrows!" Black lances shot from her palm with deadly speed, aiming for Naruto's chest. It was actually just reiki; green energy being propelled with so much velocity it appeared black to the human eye. It wouldn't hurt him too badly, but it was a great melee attack, one that Tsuyoi was proud to call her own creation.

Sai stepped in front of Naruto then, blocking the lances' path. He had a scroll and an inkwell in his hands, and he drew something on the scroll with blinding speed. "Super Beast Imitating Drawing!" Lion-type beasts made of ink sprouted from the page, crushing her lances in their teeth. Then they headed towards her, snarling.

" _Eien No Ishi Chikara Taiho!_ Earth Dragon Everlasting Stone Power Cannon!" Tsuyoi commanded, extending her arms and splaying her fingers. Earth shot from her palms, bursting through the ink beasts and slamming into both Sai and Naruto. They flew backward, but suddenly Naruto began to glow in orange fire. Fiery limbs sprouted from his shoulders and caught Sai while rooting them both to the ground against her attack.

 _What? Such power life energy...not all of it is Naruto's._ "Is that Kurama's chakra?" Tsuyoi asked, panting. She wasn't used to using so many Dragon Arts in a row. It was taking its toll. Her vision was starting to blur.

"How do you know about Naruto's Nine Tails?" Sakura demanded.

Tsuyoi froze realizing that she'd messed up. No one was supposed to know about her and Naruto's yuimaru yet. Instead of answering, she outstretched her left arm. _Strike fast and hard_. The bandages she'd wrapped around her arm glowed green, the light growing more and more intense until the bandages evaporated. She let her dairokkan go full range, her tattoos beneath vibrating with power. "Reiki Art!" She slammed her left fist into her open palm. "Dairokkan Pillar Two! _Kanadzuchi-Ken_!" Her whole left arm erupted in green flame, and she rushed Sakura before she had a chance to react. Swinging with all her might, she let out a roar. Sakura caught her fist. A rush of power diffused from their energies slamming into one another's. Sakura eyes widened and she let out a shriek of pain as her shoulder dislocated, but she didn't release her grip. Tsuyoi yelled as her own shoulder popped out the socket, she shoved Sakura away and the kuniochi hit the ground, bum first.

Sai came from up from behind in an attempt to distract her, but Tsuyoi's dairokkan was still activated and she sensed him. " _Ryouken Tsuiseki-sha!_ Earth Dragon Tracker Hound!" Walls of mud uprooted themselves from the earth and circled his limbs, immobilizing him. She spun around to face him. " _Chikyu Keimusho!_ Earth Dragon Earth Prison!" The earth solidified around him, trapping his feet and arms and rooting him to the ground.

There was a pulse of energy behind her. She was sensing Naruto, her last opponent, and turned to face him. He was descending from the sky, a small blue sphere of chakra rotating in his palm.

"Rasengan!"

Tsuyoi held her limp arm with the other hand, looking up. There was power in that move, swriling and dangerous. _I don't have enough strength to counterattack and no time to get out of the way._ Then there was a flash of brown among the green leaves on the edge of the green. A sinister reiki filled the clearing, making Tsuyoi shiver and her heart pounded. _What could that be? Not Chizu..._ Then she spotted it, behind him. A bokushin. A beast -no, a monster- that ruled the forests of Liodito. A full grown deer-like creature that stood three meters tall with vicious horns and sharp canines. And that was possessed with absolute bloodlust. It would kill any person it came across, and this one had just walked into a feast. Its bloodshot eyes glared, focused on the bright-haired boy flying through the air. It locked its gaze on him.

 _When a bokushin looks at you, it paralyzes you._ Naruto was caught frozen in the air.

 _Bokushin feed off of fear. Once it catches you, it's game over._

 _How did he find us? I thought we had a barrier up._

"Naruto!" Kakashi realized something was wrong. He started running, but he wouldn't make it in time.

Her alarm shot through Naruto, but Tsuyoi knew he wouldn't have time to move. It would kill him.

"No! Naruto!" Sakura tried to move, but she was in too much pain.

Time seemed to slow. Naruto turned halfway to gaze at the creature rushing him.

 _Tsuyoi,_ his voice echoed through her mind, terrified. _Help me!_

 _Protect. Protect. Protect._ Animal instinct coursed through her veins, throbbing at the front of her forehead.

 _Let me help you._

 _Protect him!_

"Naruto."

There was a distant snap in Tsuyoi's mind. And then the Dragon awakened.


	8. Call Me By My Name

Tsuyoi was at a crossroads. She was back in her spiritual plane. She was walking, and she had something following her. She turned, but nothing was there.

Tsuyoi's consciousness was pale green, unlike Naruto's blue. The tendrils fanned out all around her - her wa. She had been walking through the tree-like network, but with every step she took , she didn't seem to be going anywhere. Now she was floating. Pain drifted through wa - all the tendrils were turning a pale brown. Her dislocated shoulder hurt. Her whole body was exhausted from using so many Dragon Arts and then the Dairokkan on top of that. Even her mind hurt from her wa awareness and her senses so being so sharp. She was tired. She didn't want to be Dragon Queen anymore. She stopped moving, just floating. She wanted to go _home_.

 _Where is home?_

 _Where Naruto is. Because of all the things I've done, I can never go back to the village._

"But before you can go home, you have to _save_ Naruto and Kurama." A voice growled.

Tsuyoi turned.

A massive black-and-pale green dragon strode towards her. Its neck was arched grandly, tall and beautiful. Its patterns were the same as the dragon that she'd seen in Naruto's mind.

Panic flared in Tsuyoi. "No! Get away from me!" She scrambled backward, but a solid wall pressed against her back that wasn't there before. Why was she so scared?

 _Because that's what Chizu wants you to become._

The dragon stepped closer. "Why would I do that?"

Tsuyoi froze. "You were inside of me this whole time?"

"If you want to think of it like that," the dragon said, sitting back on its haunches. "You just woke me up. But I don't belong to you."

"B-but...I don't understand. How could I...wake you? And if you aren't mine, then whose are you?" Tsuyoi's arms relaxed, but her hands still shook with the sheer force of the power emanating from the beast.

"I am Hayate Ai's Dragon Spirit. My name is Sora." The dragon answered.

"Why are you inside of me? I thought you were reincarnated when you were Passed on to me." Tsuyoi had a flashback of Hayate's warm hand pressed against the back of her neck, just above her spine. The surge of power as the Spirit was passed down.

"Being reincarnated and being reborn are not the same thing."

"What?"

"Look," Sora stretched a wing outward. A large mottled black-and-green egg floated towards Tsuyoi, from seemingly nowhere. "Your actual Dragon Spirit is inside here. Inside _you_. The power of the Dragon Spirit was passed down, yes, the actual Spirit was not reborn. I am the first to actually be reborn, with an individual sense of identity. And now it's this little one's turn."

"But how do I wake her up?" Tsuyoi reached out to take the egg into her arms. It was lighter than she thought it would be.

"I will let my Queen answer that question." The dragon moved a leg aside, and a woman wrapped in white robes stepped from the shadows.

"Hayate..." Her predecessor's face was achingly familiar and soft. A sob rose in her throat. Tsuyoi ran, dropping the egg and rushing into Hayate's arms.

"It's alright, Tsuyoi." Hayate's voice whispered in her ear. Tsuyoi's heart burst. The pain she'd harbored since she was seven came rushing back. Her stomach clenched under the strain.

"H-hayate..." Tsuyoi tried to speak but she kept stuttering and she gripped Hayate's dress harder. They both sunk to their knees, Tsuyoi sobbing into the older woman's chest.

"I know, akachan. I know." Hayate stroked Tsuyoi's hair

"Hayate, how did you get here? I thought you were dead," Tsuyoi looked up with tear-filled eyes.

Hayate smiled down at her, her pale leaf-green eyes gentle. The woman truly was beautiful. "I _am_ dead. I tied my reiki signature to Sora's so that if you ever reawoke your Spirit, I could help you. But I can't stay long. I've been dead for ten years; my signature isn't as strong as it used to be."

Tsuyoi wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry I broke the rules. But now Naruto is here, and he understands everything-"

"Tsuyoi. There is no need to explain. I know how you feel about him. It's pretty obvious."

A blush rose in Tsuyoi's cheeks. "Really?"

"Tell me, what is it you want the most right now?" Hayate rose, bringing Tsuyoi up with her.

"To protect Naruto." Tsuyoi said automatically. As soon as she spoke, a tunnel opened up before Tsuyoi. The path back to her body. Hayate started to walk away from it, then paused.

Hayate gazed back at the tunnel, Sora's massive head coming to hover in the air around her shoulder. Tsuyoi was taken back by the sheer size of the beast. "What is your name?"

Tsuyoi stared, startled. "My name? You already know my name. It's Tsuyoi. Tsuyoi Arakawa."

"Is it really? You know, there are events and experiences tied to a name, and until you accept those experiences you can't accept yourself. By speaking your name, you are saying that you have the power to overcome whatever has happened in your life. That doesn't mean you have actually healed from those events, but that you've pledged a lifelong effort to changing them and helping others change theirs. So," Hayate turned and smiled. "Who are you?"

Passion and pain burned in her chest. "Tsuyoi Arakawa!" She shouted, her voice echoing through the empty space. "My name is Tsuyoi Arakawa!" For a moment she heard Naruto's voice overlapping her's, from the day before when he introduced himself. She dared anyone to tell her differently. Chizu, Tomoe, Fukuo, yes, they had shaped who she was but they weren't _her_.

"Good. Now, it's time to name your Dragon Spirit." Hayate strode to the discarded egg, and gave Tsuyoi a strange look. Tsuyoi flushed. "What will it be?"

Tsuyoi thought hard. Ever since Naruto had entered her life, he'd resurfaced old memories and feelings she'd fought hard to forget. But they had healed her in a way. The nostalgia had brought peace and pain, and they were molding her into a better and stronger person. Something that "accepting her fate" had never done.

"I will call her...Natsukashii." The Lioditan word that described a nostalgia of the past. Tsuyoi felt the strength of her father and mother, of Takumi and Hiromu, and even Hayate's own in her step as she strode to the egg. She crossed the distance and placed a hand on the rough shell. The cracks glowed vibrant green, the same shade as her hair and eyes. "Natsukashii! I, Tsuyoi Arakawa, command you to wake up!"

The egg broke open in a blinding supernova of light.


	9. Roar

_Sakura_

My arm was hurting like crazy, but all my pain vanished when I spotted that horned creature break from the trees and head for Naruto. It looked like he was rooted to the spot; I could see his arms trembling as he struggled against the invisible force holding him in place. Tsuyoi was standing in front of me, but I could tell she knew what was going on. It's red crazed eyes held back no secrets. It was hunting for blood. And it had set its going sights on Naruto Uzumaki.

 _Naruto can't die here! This just a C-Rank mission!_ I tried to stand, but my shoulder was bitten with white-hot pain again. I couldn't let Naruto die, but I couldn't move. Even Tsuyoi had frozen. After a moment, she started to glow. Startled, I tried to scramble back. I let out a whimper of pain at the sudden moment much to my annoyance.

Tsuyoi's skin started to become wrapped in shimmering black scales. They crept up her exposed arm, and talons extended from her hands. A set of black horns sprouted from her forehead and twisted up through her green hair. The air around her became thick, and the earth crumbled at her feet as she sunk in a couple of inches. I raised my good arm to protect my face as I was blasted with a surge of raw energy.

I'm not a sensory-type ninja, but I could feel her power on my skin like the sun's rays. She was pushing out so much chakra, her body was actually becoming heavier in density to handle it all. She turned her head slightly to face me. Her face was concealed in black scales, except for her eyes and mouth, from which two long fangs protruded.

"Don't worry, Sakura. I'll protect Naruto." She smiled then, but her eyes had hardened. She turned and crouched slightly. Pressing down, she shot into air with so much force the ground beneath me crumbled.

I watched as she sailed through the air towards Naruto and realized that they were perfectly compatible, like yin and yang. Back home we call that Onmyodo. Naruto's chakra nature was wind, and it was obvious that Tsuyoi's was earth. Like the sky and the ground hug on the horizon, these two could fill in the gaps of each other's weaknesses. I smiled then. I was sure that this stranger would fulfill her promise to me.

All of this happened in a heartbeat. Maybe two. But the world seemed to be revolving in slow motion.

"Go, Tsuyoi!" I shouted after her. A black tail that had grown from the base of her back flicked in acknowledgement.

 _Sai_

Tsuyoi had been radiating power like a full bucket with holes since we arrived at this strange monastery. Now it flowed free, uncontained. It was a beautiful thing to witness. Unfortunately, she hadn't undone the reiki art she'd cast on me, so I couldn't help her.

She shot through the air, stretching her arms towards Naruto.

"Turn around!" She gestured to Naruto as she reached him in mid-air. Without twisting her body, she used a long black reptilian tail to wrap around his waist and spin him around. They both faced the deer demon head on.

"Rasengan!" Naruto shouted.

" _Kaiten ikari!_ Earth Dragon Rotating Fury!" Tsuyoi yelled, her eyes alight. Earth formed in her palm and she fused it with reiki. It spun in one direction, like you would spin a ball on your finger. She must have modeled an alternate version of Naruto's Rasengan. _She can analyze such a complex move so quickly? And create her own version in an instant?_ The ball of earth spun faster and faster and faster until the green reiki turned a deep black.

Naruto and Tsuyoi exchanged twin glances of exhilaration. Their power hummed in the air, even more so when Naruto ignited his Nine Tails Chakra Mode and the black-scaled Tsuyoi erupted in flaming green. They both seemed to glow in ethereal light. The bond they shared was growing stronger and its power washed over the entire clearing.

A smile passed my lips as they descended on the startled beast. Naruto pressed his Rasengan into the beast's head, Tsuyoi's Kaiten ikari in its chest. The ground below the beast collapsed, bathing the three of them in a cloud of dust.

 _Kakashi_

I had never seen power rival Naruto's before. Sure, there have been people stronger than Naruto, with different styles and intent that may have had the upperhand in some of his battles. But his and Tsuyoi's fighting style and energy was so similar it was almost difficult to tell them apart. They had attacked the beast, and were now hidden by a plume of dust.

Tsuyoi and Naruto stepped out of the shower of earth, both crackling with energy.

"It's not dead," Tsuyoi announced. "I have to finish it off."

Naruto looked startled. "What are you gonna do?"

Tsuyoi just grinned, which looked kind of creepy with long fangs. She turned, facing the incapacitated beast. It looked up at her with undisguised malice. Tsuyoi took a step back, slamming her fist into her open palm.

"Dragon Daughter Mode. Ultimate _Todoroki_." Green power glowed in her mouth as she spoke, billowing out like smoke.

I was rooted to the spot by the sheer strength that Naruto and Tsuyoi diffused, but some instinct told me to duck for cover.

"Roar."

And the world disappeared in a surge of light.

While I was blinded by its sheer brightness, I had a strange thought. _With Naruto's help Tsuyoi is going to rule this country._ But of course, that was just a hunch.


	10. Natsukashii's Birthday

_******I did mention bokushin in chapter one (Liodito Sun), but briefly. And under another name - mega faun. I decided bokushin was more authentic and I was so excited to actually write in the attack! If you had any confusion, just imagine a nine-feet-tall deer with slobbering fangs and bloodlust in its eyes. Pretty picture, huh? I wanted to experiment with the idea of "prey" becoming "predator," and since Liodito has a lot of forests, I came up with a evil demon deer. Just type in "evil deer" in Google and have fun with the images it comes up with. Hope you liked!******_

Pure white light with a greenish tinge burst forth from Tsuyoi's mouth, bathing the bokushin in scorching heat. Tsuyoi roared in pain and triumph and her own voice was layered with another. It was the roar of a beast. It echoed through the clearing, ripping across the sky. The trees bent at the trunks under the force of the decibel Tsuyoi reached. The moment of sheer power and exhilaration last way too long and too short.

 _No, it's not just me._ Tsuyoi thought. _Natuskashii's in there now, too._

Her throat screamed in pain. The energy blast shrank, reducing itself to a wispy smoke circling from her mouth. She collapsed, sliding forward onto her knees. Naruto extinguished his Nine Tails chakra and bent on his knees, sliding his arms beneath her's so her head rested on his chest.

Tsuyoi didn't even have the strength to feel embarrassed. She leaned back against him, her head swimming. Her vision was murky, but through her haze she could see the spot-clean bones of the bokushin carcass.

"I killed it, right?" Tsuyoi smiled weakly.

"Don't you ever do that again, you idiot!" Naruto's heart was beating fast beneath Tsuyoi's ear. She could hear the anger in his voice, but he was thinking that what she had just done was cool and crazy at the same time. _How could she do something like that?_

"You're welcome," she smiled, closing her eyes.

"Naruto! Tsuyoi!" Kakashi's voice rapidly approached, as well as his footsteps. He was running to them. _Little late for that_. "Is she dying?"

"No, I'm not dying, you fool," Tsuyoi muttered.

"She's fine," Naruto answered instead. "More or less."

"Hey! Can she let me out of here?" Sai's voice came from the other side of the field. Tsuyoi realized that she hadn't released him from his Earth Prison.

"Stop being so selfish, Sai!" Sakura called. "She just killed that monster thingy!"

Tsuyoi broke out in a smile. She felt Naruto's face twist into a grin against the back of her head. Happiness flooded her, and she felt Natsukashii's Spirit respond. Her joy poured out of her like a fountain. _I know who I am!_

 _I told you to name her_ , Naruto's thought pierced through.

 _You didn't think we knew what we were talking about, eh?_ A new voice joined the conversation.

 _Kurama?_ Tsuyoi blinked, surprised.

 _Who else do you think it is?_

Tsuyoi laughed. "Sorry, Your Nine-Tailiness." She muttered aloud.

She and Naruto burst into snickering. Kakashi, who had Sakura's good arm wrapped around his shoulder, gave them a strange look. It only made them laugh harder.

As happy as Tsuyoi was, she did her best to ignore Chizu's stare. Her patron hadn't moved at all, even when the bokushin had broke through the trees. Tsuyoi felt her eyes piercing her and Naruto from the shadows.

"Okay, it's time to eat!" Naruto declared, clapping his hands together.

"Fukuo and Tomoe made ramen for everyone!" Tsuyoi shouted. "With dangos and green tea for dessert!"

Naruto and Tsuyoi banged on the tables, roaring for food. Tsuyoi had patched everyone up after she had recovered some from the battle and then the bokushin attack. She and Sakura had healed each others' dislocated arms, calling a truce. Though Tsuyoi had made Sakura promise to have another punch-up when their arms healed. They both had their arms wrapped and put into casts, which Tsuyoi could hardly stand. She wasn't used to wearing sleeves because it blocked up her Dairokkan flow and this heavy gauze was almost too much to bear.

Naruto and Tsuyoi led Kakashi, Sai, Sakura and Tomoe into the large dining hall, where Fukuo was already waiting. The lanterns were lit and the table was set. Seven bowls of ramen were steaming, completed with chopsticks and low pillows for everyone to sit on. Naruto and Tsuyoi tried running to be the first ones at the table, but both of them were too sore and ended up on the floor.

"My legs!" Tsuyoi gasped.

"My whole body!" Naruto moaned.

"What do you mean, your whole body?" Tsuyoi rolled on her side to face him. "You're not the one who has a dragon inhabiting your body, you fool!"

"Well, Me and Kurama have been at this longer than you, dummy!" Naruto stuck his tongue out at her.

"Oh yeah? Dragon trumps fox, Hayride! I'll burn you to a crisp!" She shouted back as Kakashi stepped around her calmly.

"Huh?" Naruto and Kurama roared in unison. Though only Naruto and Tsuyoi could hear him.

"Will both of you shut up and come eat?" Sakura called from the table.

Naruto and Tsuyoi grumbled as they sat side by side, with Sai on Naruto's left and Kakashi on Tsuyoi's right. They dug in hungrily.

"So, Tsuyoi," Kakashi asked after a few moments of their slurping. "What happened out there? What was that thing?"

"Oh." Tsuyoi couldn't see Kakashi on her right side because of the huge eye patch she'd had to put over her eye from a bruise. She turned to face him. "It was a bokushin. They're monsters that live out in the forests around here."

"But where did it come from?"

"Reiki that had gone bad. Sometimes faulty reiki transfer results in a mutation of cells. Some beginners way back when messed with some deers and created bokushin. They somehow developed the ability to paralyze their victims with their eyes. Some scholars speculate and say that maybe the reiki wielders who did it had genkai kekkei blood that involved genjutsu, and that's how they got it. But no one really knows." Tsuyoi rubbed her eyepatch. "I hate them. A friend of mine from the orphanage was killed by one. They're completely indiscriminate in their killing."

"Don't you have some kind of protection from them?" Sakura offered.

"Usually, yes. Chizu has a reiki barrier that acts like an animal's scent markers. But it didn't work." Tsuyoi cast her eye down. "We'll just have to be really careful when we go outside."

SIlence broke over the group for some time as they ate.

"What about your new power?" Kakashi pressed.

"Oh! I unlocked Dragon Daughter Mode!" Tsuyoi's good eye widened. "Well, let me explain. When I was seven, my predecessor, Hayate Ai, imparted her Dragon Spirit down to me. It's actually a reincarnation of an old Dragon that isn't around anymore. But today I actually woke up the Dragon Spirit, instead of just using her dormant power. I'll be much stronger with her awake. So today," Tsuyoi grinned big. "Is Natsukashii's birthday!"

Kakashi smiled back at her. Tsuyoi was so happy she thought her heart would explode.

"Ramen toast to Tsuyoi and Natsukashii!" Naruto shouted. Everyone raised their bowls.

"Happy birthday, Natsukashii!"

Tsuyoi couldn't stop the tears coming out of her eyes. "I know I just met you all yesterday," Tsuyoi said, choking on her words."But I think I love you guys!" She bawled. She buried her head in Naruto's shoulder, who gave her a noogie, grinning.

Sakura, Sai, and Kakashi laughed, and Tomoe and Fukuo did something between a laugh and a shuddering, hiccuping sob.

They all failed to notice Chizu watching from the doorway. No one saw her leave, either.


	11. Come What May

"I haven't had hardly any sleep these past two days!" Tsuyoi stretched her arms over her head as she walked down the hall. Naruto walked beside her, a hand on his stomach. He'd eaten six bowls of ramen and got a stomachache. Tsuyoi had eaten nine, and her belly hadn't even growled. "Was it really just yesterday when I met you? Why has it seemed like I've known you forever?"

Naruto smiled at her but didn't answer. Tsuyoi paused, turning to look at him.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

He glanced at her, then looked at the ceiling, flushing. "No."

"You've forgotten I can see in your mind if I want to, you fool," Tsuyoi put her hands on her hips. "Don't make me look in there."

"Uh..." He put his hands behind his head and made his dope face. "I don't wanna tell you."

"What is it, you idiot? Just say it!" Tsuyoi poked his chest with a finger.

"No." He shook his head stubbornly.

A vein popped out on Tsuyoi's temple. She reached out, fast like a flash of lightning. She grabbed his face with her good hand and pulled him close so their foreheads touched.

"No, no, wait, I'll tell you!" Naruto sputtered and fought against her touch; Tsuyoi pinched his cheeks until he was still.

"Too late." She closed her eyes and focused, sorting through his wild thoughts and emotions. In her mind's eye, she saw everything in colors and aimed her attention at a brightly pulsing red somewhere near the middle. It glowed brighter than the rest. She reached for it, tentatively.

 _Tsuyoi...Tsuyoi is..._ He was frantically trying to hide the thought. _I...Tsuyoi...I...we...I want...Tsuyoi..._

"I like your hair!" Naruto blurted out loud.

"Huh?" Tsuyoi blinked her eyes open. Before she could blink again, he'd wrenched his face away and grabbed her wrist. "My hair?"

Naruto's cheeks were stained bright pink. "I said I l-like your hair. The color. It's so...green."

Tsuyoi and Naruto stared at each other for a moment, neither moving. Tsuyoi's face flushed. There was a heavy pause. Naruto's blue eyes glowed beneath the candlelight. _I like everything about you. Your hair, your eyes, and your smile._ She didn't know whose thought it was, but it was obvious that the feeling was mutual. Tsuyoi cracked a smile first, beaming. Both of them collapsed into giggling fits, bubbling and growing until their laughter was echoing off the walls. Naruto lowered his hands but didn't let go of her wrists.

When their laughter died down, Tsuyoi gently pulled her hand out of Naruto's and reached them up to the tie in her hair. She pulled it out, letting it spill over her shoulders and frame her face. Her hair had grown out, reaching the small of her back. "Do you like it when I wear it like this?"

He studied her for a moment, his face a mix of embarrassment and uncertainty. "I like it any way you wear it."

 _He's serious. Actually, I think he was confused as to why I asked in the first place._ Tsuyoi smiled again and started walking, not waiting to see if Naruto was following. He hurried to walk by her side again. "If Natsukashii is awake, why can't I hear her talking like you can hear Kurama?" He asked, the blush fading in his cheeks.

Tsuyoi shrugged, then stopped to push the door open that led to her room. "I don't know. I know she's awake, so maybe she's still not fully conscious yet. I wish Hayate could tell me."

"Hayate?" Naruto stepped through the door behind her. "Wasn't she the Dragon Queen before you?"

"Yeah. Hold on a second." She planted her fist into her palm. " _Seijaku Hoko._ Earth Dragon Silent Roar." She breathed a plume of fire to light the candles in her room just like she'd done the night before. She thumped herself in the chest to clear the smoke, crossing the room to her bed.

"So...?" Naruto came and sat down next to her.

Tsuyoi sighed. "I don't want to explain it all right now. I'm tired." She didn't look at Naruto, lest he notice how tired she actually was. Not just from fighting three Konoha shinobi and a bokushin on top of that. Not from unlocking Dragon Daughter Mode. She was tired of being Dragon Queen. Of being exploited every day under the shadow of death for absolutely nothing.

 _Huh._ She hadn't thought of the end of her reign-her death-for almost a day. And even now, the thought of it didn't terrorize her as much as it would have a few days before. Still, her shoulders sagged. An expectation of death wasn't something a sixteen-year-old should have to deal with.

"What am I supposed to do, Naruto?" Tsuyoi sighed, letting her sore shoulder lean against his.

He looked down at her, his discomfort vanished. "What you know is right," he answered with rock-hard conviction. "If you being the Dragon Queen was something beyond your control, why should you have to die for it?"

Tsuyoi bit her lip. "I don't know. That's just it. I was never told anything. I was forced to follow rules without any hesitation or regard for my own opinion. I was the Headman's daughter. I just did what I was told. But then you came..." She looked up into his eyes and froze. Her face was too close to his; his nose mere centimeters from hers. Her face grew hot. She became painfully aware of their closeness, their fingers barely touching. Her heart pounded in her ears, drumming out its dull rhythm until it filled her ears. Naruto looked equally frozen. His shoulder tensed beneath hers. His cheeks flushed again. Tsuyoi felt herself lean forward, and felt the mattress creak as his weight shifted too.

"Hey, Naruto." Someone's voice startled both of them. Kakashi stood in the doorway, knocking against the frame. Naruto scooted over to give her space. Tsuyoi instantly missed his warm shoulder pressed against hers. "Sorry to interrupt, but we've gotta talk. A lot of work needs to be done when we get back home."

"O-okay, Master Kakashi," Naruto stammered, standing. Tsuyoi rose as well, following him to the door. Naruto stepped out into the hallway. Kakashi moved to give him room. Naruto turned to Tsuyoi.

"I'll see you in the morning, Tsuyoi," he said, giving a little wave. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Tsuyoi said faintly.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and turned to leave.

Tsuyoi flinched. _Come on, just say it!_

"And N-naruto?"

His shoulders flinched. "Y-yeah?"

"I like your hair, too."

He turned, giving her a wide-eyed look that faded into a soft smile. "Thanks." Then he was gone.

Tsuyoi shut the door and leaned her back against it, exhaling.

 _No girl should ever be subjected to such horrors!_ She thought. But an irrepressible grin snuck its way across her lips. _Naruto..._

Tsuyoi had gone to sleep a little while after Naruto left. She fell into a peaceful slumber for the first time in months, with the Konoha shinobi's name on her tongue.

Now she was in a field. Daffodils dotted the small swell of earth, with a clear blue sky stretching above and a few clouds scudding across the bright sun. Tsuyoi was standing in the center of the field in a bright white dress, one of the finest silk, that hugged her neck and flowed gracefully about her ankles.

"Hayate?" Tsuyoi cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hayate? Are you here?"

"I'm here, Tsuyoi," a soft voice answered. Tsuyoi turned.

Hayate and Sora glided across the grass towards her, as graceful as a butterfly, but with the hidden strength of a hornet. Tsuyoi was taken back by the power of the pair. "H-hayate..." Then she paused. There were worry lines in Hayate's face and Sora's neck wasn't as arched like before. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, child," Hayate said. Which meant something was wrong. "I'm here to help you a final time. Natsukashii has been having trouble waking up fully. You must help her complete the process."

"Sure. How do I do it?" Tsuyoi looked high and low, then back at Hayate. "Where do I find her?"

Hayate smiled, but it was weak. "You have to summon her."

"Like, call her?" Tsuyoi asked. Hayate nodded. "Alright." Tsuyoi cocked her hands on her hips. "Yo, Natsukashii! Time to wake up!"

Hayate opened her hands and a dazzling white light glowed between them. The light stretched and grew until it took on a basic shape; four legs, tail, head. But then Tsuyoi felt the tug in her gut. She gasped as the pain sharpened and twisted.

"Ugh!" Tsuyoi gripped her middle and went down on her knees.

"Again. Call her." Hayate's calm voice instructed.

Tsuyoi raised her head, a bead of sweat traveling down her temple. "N-natsukashii!"

The light intensified, glowing a brighter, more brilliant white. The pain in Tsuyoi's stomach grew as well, plunging her whole body in a shower of white agony.

"Ngggh!" Tsuyoi growled, biting back a cry.

"Again! She's almost here."

"Natsukashii! Wake up! Y-you can do it!" Tsuyoi crawled to the ball of light and placed her hands on its head. The light solidified and then shattered, leaving behind a small bundle of green and black. The little creature collapsed, breathing heavily.

"Oh!" Tsuyoi gasped, the pain dissipating. She pulled the warm scaly body up into her lap, cradling it. "Natsukashii..."

At the sound of Tsuyoi's voice, the tiny dragon baby raised her head. Its eyes were bright and green, the same shade as Tsuyoi's own.

"Oh, Natsukashii," Tsuyoi said softly. "I'll protect you. It doesn't matter what life throws at me. Come what may, I will always protect you. And Naruto will too! You're going to love him! Look, fresh out the womb and you already have friends!"

Natsukashii cooed happily while Tsuyoi talked. After a few minutes, the little creature fell asleep, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Tsuyoi laid the little dragonette in the grass among the daffodils and straightened. "Hayate?" The sixth Dragon Queen and Sora had both vanished.

"I have to go, for now, Tsuyoi," Hayate's voice whispered in Tsuyoi's ear. "But I promise we will see each other again."

"What do you mean? Hayate?" Tsuyoi turned, trying to spot her, but there was only air. Despair rose in her voice. "Where are you?"

"Go strong," Hayate's voice continued to breath. "Hold on to that shinobi; keep him close. He will change your future in ways a Dragon Queen has never experienced."

"You mean Naruto? But why...where are you?" Tsuyoi wanted to wail. _Don't leave me_.

"Don't worry, I'll still be here. Actually, I couldn't leave if I wanted to." Hayate said.

"Why?"

"Because me and Sora are counting on you to set us free."


	12. Fear And Fear Itself: Part 1

She'd only given in because she was lonely. Which she would never admit aloud, but it was true. Ever since Naruto and the other shinobi had arrived three days before, she had felt full and happy. It didn't matter that the end of her reign was approaching fast, or that Chizu had been prowling around the monastery like a caged tiger. Tsuyoi was with Naruto and Kurama most of the time, and Natsukashii was finding her voice as she quadrupled in size and power.

 _Go get food!_ Natsukashii was bouncing up and down inside as Tsuyoi and Naruto made their way down the stairwell next to the dining hall.

 _Why? It's not like_ you _can eat it,_ Tsuyoi shot back irritably. She was mad at herself for going along with Naruto's ridiculous plan.

 _If it's so ridiculous, why are you still here? I can do it by myself, ya know._ Naruto joined in.

"So you can have all the fun to yourself? Not bloody likely, Hayride," Tsuyoi answered hotly. She stopped moving, pressing her hand against his chest so he wouldn't bump into her. Thanks to her accelerated healing, her arm was already as good as new. "Now I'm going to go in first, and then I'll give you the signal, okay?"

"Right." Naruto nodded. Then he straightened and crossed his arms over his chest, looking smug.

"W-what?" Tsuyoi flushed under his eyes.

"You know this is a good idea. You want to see if there is anyone living here beside you and your patrons, and I want more dangos. We both get we want." He said triumphantly.

"Smart, Naruto. You're a sharp one." Tsuyoi peeked around the corner, the amber light washing over her face. "Okay, I'm going."

"Hurry, my stomach is growling!"

"You just ate!" Tsuyoi shook her head at his eagerness. Naruto may have more experience with some things than she did, but at heart, he was just a kid. Actually, Naruto was older than her by almost a year, but that didn't make the bond that had been steadily growing between them any weaker. Ever since she healed him and their wa had become interconnected, they'd been like the same person in two different bodies. Their stories overlapped each other perfectly; the same pain flowed through their veins. _Now all I have to do is overcome my pain like he did._ She glanced at him for a moment and felt a faint smile break through her face at his childlike expression.

"Okay, I'm going." Tsuyoi slunk through the wide oak doors of the dining hall, careful not to make the door creak. She vanished inside, heading towards the dull orange candlelight that glowed in the back room, where the kitchens were located.

 _Don't forget the mission_ , Naruto chimed in her head. _We've gotta get those cinnamon dangos while they are still warm!_

 _That's not the mission, you dolt! We have to see if there are actually people in the monastery beside me and the patrons, orkana._

 _It's not your mission, you mean._

Tsuyoi sidled up next to the cracked door, her back pressed against the wall. She held her breath, extended her hearing. It was true, Tsuyoi's whole reason for sneaking into the kitchens was to see if there had actually been any other workers or servants inside the monastery. Even though Tsuyoi had not once seen another being inside the monastery, the laundry was always done, the meals always warm, and the building itself was always sparkling clean. At first, she'd suspected that Tomoe and Fukuo had done all the work, but the monastery was too big for them to manage it all alone. But you have seen another person here before...The ghost of a memory she'd buried resurfaced briefly; a broad X drawn across the chest of a bounded man. The burn of her sword in her hand. _No!_ She shut the thought down firmly and again focused on the task at hand. _I've tried to use the Dairokkan to locate life forces before, but I have never sensed anything._

 _I want those dangos, Tsuyoi!_ Naruto pressed; he must have sensed her hesitation.

 _I don't want to deal with whatever creepy jutsu or reiki art Chizu uses to keep this place running,_ Tsuyoi thought back. _Maybe this secret is best left a secret._

 _Tsuyoi, how could you say something like that? We are talking about dangos here! The best food besides ramen on the face of the earth, and you want to turn back? Coward!_ She could literally feel Naruto waving his arms around like a madman, snorting and carrying on like a deranged cow with a stomachache.

"Okay, calm down, Hayride, I'm going."

"You've said that three times already!"

Naruto went quiet as Tsuyoi laid her hand on the door. Without hesitation, she pushed it open and whipped her manriki-kusari from her back. There was a flash of gray in the candlelight, and she flicked her wrist outward, thrusting one weighted end of the weapon into the air. It wrapped around she guessed was the neck of the intruder, and she jerked her arm back viciously. The gray figure thudded at her feet, the sound reminding her of stone. She looked closer. It _was_ stone.

"Oh, it's just a golem," she said aloud, letting out a breath of relief. She bent down to examine its eyes. They were dark and hollow; there was no reiki inside it. "Chizu must use reiki transfer to power these up when she needs it do something." She mumbled to herself. She ran her hand down its rounded head. "It's very well crafted."

While standing, the golem was probably four feet tall, with a wide head and shoulders and a short yet sturdy body. Liodito's trade was golem-making, thanks to the 6-mile wide clay deposits on the edge of the village. But only people like Tsuyoi, born with the ability to bend reiki could power the golems. To take life energy from the world around them, concentrate it, and then give it away again-that was reiki art, in essence.

"What's a golem?" Naruto asked, suddenly at her shoulder.

Tsuyoi gazed at him for a moment, pouring everything she knew about golems into his head all at once, so she wouldn't have to speak. He winced briefly, then brushed past her to the cooling rack, lined with cinnamon dangos.

"Look, they have ginger-flavored too!" Naruto pointed, beckoning. Tsuyoi rolled her eyes, but she stepped over the fallen golem and joined him.

They sat on the floor, the dangos between them. They ate in silence, savoring the taste of the sweet treats.

"Hey, Tsuyoi, can you breathe fire on the dangos? Mine is cold." Naruto broke the silence, gesturing to the rack and the rows of dangos that remained.

Tsuyoi rolled her eyes again. "You know that's not good for my health, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Human beings aren't supposed to _breathe fire_ ," she said, taking the dango from him. " _Eien No Hono._ Earth Dragon Eternal Flame," she said, bunching up her cheeks. She felt the familiar burning sensation in her chest. She let it build, then exhaled a stream of fire. She didn't let the flame flow full range, holding the dango stick slightly to the side so it wouldn't burn. "Here," she handed it back to him, her voice slightly hoarse.

Naruto's eyes lit with childlike joy. Tsuyoi couldn't help but smile. _I'm glad I can make him happy_ , she thought, feeling warm. _That would be the least I can do, after all the things I've done._ The feeling faded.

There was a thought, another flash of memory, that made her gasp and her head swim. It was like lightning had flashed in front of her face, blinding her and muffling her senses. _No..._ she fought back weakly, but there was no hope. She was swamped in her greatest pain, her biggest fear. The memory overtook her.

Eleven-year-old Tsuyoi walked atop the garden wall, placing one bare foot one in front the other. She held her arms out, straight across to maintain her balance. She stared down, concentrating. The urge and heartache of home still tugged, as it had for the five years since her Choosing, but this morning she'd found that the pain wasn't as sharp. She'd stayed quiet at breakfast and snuck out to center herself before training. She didn't want Head Lady Chizu to see any notches in her fighting skill. The old biddy would notice. And Tsuyoi wanted to find the source behind the sudden loss of the ache before that happened.

"Han geoul-emu, watashi wa motto anata o aishte ," she muttered in Lioditan, an old nursery rhyme that her father had taught her when she was little. She paused, waiting for the familiar pang that hit her chest whenever she thought of her old life, but it didn't come. She continued walking in rhythm, "Anata wa watashi o aishi, du geoul-emu, se geoul-emu, ne watashi wa motto anata o aishte," she finished the rhyme.

"Lady Tsuyoi!" Someone called her name. Tsuyoi sharpened her hearing, focusing on the sound. "Lady Tsuyoi!"

It was Head Lady Chizu. She was on the other side of the monastery wall, calling her from the far gardens. It was time to train.

Tsuyoi hopped from the wall, her swords clacking as they brushed together on her back. "Noroi," she muttered. She was glad, at least, that Chizu had let her bring her old swords from the village. When she'd first started learning under her father, the samurai swords had been too long for her, but she'd grown into them about a year ago. Again, she waited for the pang, but there was nothing. She continued through the gardens, feeling her itchy sixth sense creep up her spine.

"Yes, Head Lady Chizu?" Tsuyoi met her patron at the entrance to the garden.

"Come, Tsuyoi. It is time to begin training. I have a new exercise for you today."

An even deeper chill ran up Tsuyoi's back, making her shoulders shudder violently. _What is this feeling? Something bad's gonna happen..._

"Faster, Tsuyoi."

Tsuyoi's heart started racing. The animal instinct embedded deep inside her screamed to run, but she somehow placed one shaky foot in front of the other, against her will."No," she blurted. "Don't make me!"

Chizu regarded her quizzically. "Don't make you do what?" She feigned ignorance, but Tsuyoi spotted the malice in her eyes. Chizu was excited, even though the old biddy was never excited about anything.

They entered the training courtyard. Tsuyoi wasn't sure when it had started raining, but fat drops rolled down her face. In the center of the courtyard was a bundle of rope and something brown. She sharpened her eyesight and immediately wished she hadn't. It was a man. A man tied down onto stakes with thick, coarse ropes. He was stretched out, arms and legs extended like he was gesturing to the open sky above. Like an invitation of death.

Tsuyoi backed away, covering her mouth with her hands. "N-no..."

Chizu grinned, an expression that can only be compared to a leering lizard. "Now come, Tsuyoi. We must train."

"Don't make me!" She was ready to run, her instincts on the edge.

Chizu grabbed her wrist before she could. "Come along, Tsuyoi." She dragged her across the courtyard towards the man.

"No! No, don't make me! Please!" Tsuyoi screamed, her pleading echoing across the empty sky. Her voice shattered any illusion of normalcy then. Things were never going to be the same again. "Don't make me!"

Chizu halted, pulling Tsuyoi to a stop. She was sobbing now, begging Chizu to let her go, but her pleas fell upon deaf ears. Chizu's hand flashed; Tsuyoi flinched hard, but froze when she felt her patron's hand brush her back. She pulled one of Masashi's samurai swords from the sheath.

 _Father..._ The ache was back again, stronger than ever. _I want to go home! Somebody help me! Please!_ Her thoughts were cut short when Chizu slid the hilt into her hand.

Tsuyoi stared blankly. Chizu simply pointed. Tsuyoi turned slowly, going rigid with shock. There was a broad black X etched across the man's chest. He opened his eyes weakly. His irises were a pale liquid green. He was dying, but not yet past the gates of death. He opened his mouth, struggling to speak. He mouthed a few words, but they were too low for Tsuyoi to hear.

"Do your duty, Tsuyoi." Chizu's voice broke through.

"W-what?"

"Kill him."

Tsuyoi's hands started shaking violently, like a leaf caught in a monsoon. '"Why?"

"It is a Dragon Queen duty. You must fulfill it." Chizu extended her hand, and a giant black dragon claw materialized, coating her whole upper arm, tipped with razor sharp claws. "Or you will die." She flicked her wrist closer, pressing a pointed fingertip against Tsuyoi's middle.

Tsuyoi turned back to the man, carefully avoiding Chizu's claws. Acting on a will that wasn't her own, her arms rose shakily, gripping the blade tight. She wasn't sure when it had happened, but everything around her head turned gray. Her brown hands clutched the gray hilt, and rain poured down her face. _What am I doing? Wait...!_

"Kill him, Tsuyoi!"

"No..." She started hyperventilating. "No..." She pushed back, her arms trembling as she struggled against the phantom pressure.

"Do it, now!"

"No!"

"NOW!"

"NO!" But her hands swung down anyway, against her will, and blood sprayed the courtyard. She'd made her mark. "No..." She sunk to her knees, her brown skin and green hair giving way to gray. Everything was gray, everything was dead. Especially the bounded man, whose now blood mingled with the rain. "No..."

"Stop blubbering, you idiot. You are a queen. Act like it." Chizu stepped past her, robes swishing. "You belong here. You can never go home, now that you have killed. Your friends, Takumi Yamashita and Hiromu Hoshi, will never accept you again."

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry. Please forgive me! Forgive me!" She shouted at the falling rain, and the blood, and Chizu's retreating figure. She cursed her existence. She cursed everything. And she cried. She remembered her friends' faces, brown skin and green hair and bright eyes, and suddenly they were gone. It was from that moment on that her memories left and would play a dangerous game of hide-and-seek with the rest of mind for six more years.

She could feel them leaving. And she cried because she could not remember how to bring them back.

"Wake up, Tsuyoi!" Naruto's voice reached her.

She blinked her eyes open. Surrounded by four white walls that seemed to be endless, she found herself kneeling on the floor. She tried to stand, but her hands and feet were chained to the floor in pulsing white shackles. She suddenly sat straight, eyes wide. Across from her, Naruto was facing her, eyes wide with confusion and concern. Then it hit her.

She was in the White Room, chained. Naruto was here, too. Their yuimaru had brought him here, to this place of torture that existed in her own mind.

"Tsuyoi?"

Instead of answering, she opened her mouth and screamed.


	13. Fear And Fear Itself: Part 2

"Tsuyoi! Tsuyoi, cut it out!" Naruto yelled over her screaming. "Tsuyoi!"

Tsuyoi tried to wrench her hands free from the white chains, but she knew she couldn't escape. The White Room was infinite and deadly. She could only get out if Chizu let her out.

A vein erupted on Tsuyoi's forehead. "CHIIIIZZZZZUUUU!" She screamed like a wild beast. "LET ME OUT!" Fear, pain, and suppressed memories tore at her chest and burned her dairokkan markings. She began to glow in green light as she released energy so hot the air sizzled. "CHIIIIIZZZZUUUU!"

"TSUYOI!" Naruto's voice cut in. "Stop it. Please stop." His voice cracked.

Tsuyoi paused, her conscious mind breaking through. She went limp, twitching and shaking under the force of the power she radiated. "I don't wanna be in here...it's scary... Naruto, get me out of here...NARUTO!" She cried now, open and loud, tears gushing down her face.

Naruto was also shaking, but he managed to stay upright. "I'll get you out. I promise. Just stop. You're scaring Natsukashii."

Tsuyoi's eyes widened. Natsukashii was crouched down in a corner, shivering. She had never seen her Queen act like this before. She didn't know what to do.

"I'm sorry, Natsukashii," Tsuyoi breathed. "Tsuyoi's sorry. I'm just so...so _broken_! I tried to not let her get to me, but she's always in my head. She won't go away." She rubbed her eyes with her arm. "She'll never go away. Only if she's dead or I'm dead. And I can't kill her. I've tried." She let her head hang. "But it's okay...the Dragon King will kill me soon..." Her eyes glazed over; she was going into shock.

"No! Don't talk like that, you damn idiot!" Naruto strained against his chains towards her. "I won't let Chizu or that stupid Dragon King break you! You're too strong for that!"

"No, I'm not!" Tsuyoi wailed. "I let down my father and Takumi and Hiromu! If I was strong, I wouldn't have killed that man! I would have fought against it! But I didn't. I couldn't. I'm so weak! I'm nothing..."

"If you say one more bad thing about yourself, I'm going to knock your damn head off your shoulders!" Naruto shouted, leaning his face as close to hers as he could. Tsuyoi didn't lift her head. "Listen to me, Tsuyoi. You _are_ strong, and now that I'm here you're going to be stronger than ever. Don't forget I can see what's going on inside your head. You're fighting the truth, and I'm going to make you accept it even if I have to knock you out a couple times!"

Tsuyoi's head suddenly shot up. Her eyes glowed white. She screamed again, and Natsukashii roared from fear alongside her.

"Tsuyoi!"

Ink washed over the walls, and the White Room turned black. So did Tsuyoi's eyes.


	14. ENTER: Yowai

She was going to a place she'd hoped she would never see again. The Black Room, parallel to the White Room. Both were manufactured layers of Tsuyoi's consciousness. In the White Room, there had been chaos, but here there was nothing but quiet. Not peace, just cold silence. There was a chair, so Tsuyoi sat. Black tendrils inched up the arms and around her own. They wrapped her mouth and chest, and Tsuyoi began to sink into a deep sleep.

 _Wait...If I'm here...Naruto is going to meet Yowai._ She started fighting, but she was too far under. She sunk into the depths. _So weak..._

* * *

Tsuyoi stopped screaming, finally. She went limp again, her neck hanging like a ragdoll. Naruto opened his mouth to say her name, but stopped short when she began to move. He started to stand, then froze when her head lifted to meet his. Her eyes had turned black. So had her hair and her tattoos. She stood up and Naruto realized that his hands weren't shackled anymore. He stood quickly.

"Tsuyoi?" He ventured.

She looked him up and down, her eyes taking on a wicked glare that sent goosebumps down his arms. "Who's that? You mean the other me?"

"The other...you? Tsuyoi, I don't know what you're talking about." The stranger in Tsuyoi's body sneered wickedly at him. Naruto shivered again, in spite of himself. _Her eyes are so cold._ "You're not Tsuyoi. Who are you?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "My name is Yowai. I'm Tsuyoi's other half. The part she keeps hidden."

"What do you mean? What did you do to her?" Naruto balled his fists, trying to keep his anger under control. "Where is she now? And where's Natsukashii?"

Yowai took a step forward and then vanished from Naruto's vision. He took a step back, startled, and bumped into someone's shoulder. Yowai slid her hand over his arm and clasped the back of his neck, movements flashing like a snake's.

"I'm going to rule this body now, Naruto, but first I should tell you something." Yowai brought her face close to his ear. "Tsuyoi loves you."

"W-what?" Naruto clenched his fists even tighter.

"But for some reason she keeps those feelings bottled up inside me, too. You know what that means? Tsuyoi is dark. She's evil, and so are her feelings for you." Yowai grinned again, teeth flashing against her skin. "You know she killed a man, right? Well, she didn't really. That force she fought against? That was me. Tsuyoi didn't kill; I did! And as soon as I get control of this body I'll kill again!"

"ENOUGH!" Naruto seized her wrist and swung hard, vaulting her over his shoulder. A loud crack sounded as her head struck the smooth black floor. Her eyes went wide, her body stiff with shock. "Tsuyoi isn't evil. Say it again and _I'll_ kill _you._ " He stood over the Tsuyoi imposter, a fiery anger burning him up in the inside. Grabbing her collar, he yanked her close to him, nose to nose. "I dare you," he hissed.

Yowai pulled herself away, rubbing the back of her head. "Ooh, I like that look in your eye. C'mon, hit me again!" Her eyes gleamed, and she grinned, showing off her elongated fangs and talons. "Beat me, and I'll release Natsukashii and Tsuyoi. If you don't, you'll never see Tsuyoi again!"

Something in Naruto snapped. He rushed her.


	15. The Unconscious Mind

There was always sadness in Masashi's face when he told Tsuyoi that she looked like her mother. Masashi Himekawa was tall and strong like a young horse, but ever since the day he returned to from the war a year before, the worry lines in his face had grown deeper and deeper. In the beginning, the deep lines around his mouth shrank when he smiled, but now they showed even when he laughed. It hurt Tsuyoi. It made her heart shrink into its cage every time she saw it.

"Papa, why are you sad all the time?" Tsuyoi would pull on his pant leg, eyes filled with urgency.

"Papa is the Headman of the village, and the Headman gets very tired, _akachan_." He would answer, pausing from shelving papers and writing letters to the Council to look down at her. He'd smile, and Tsuyoi would have a full view of the dark dimples and the ever-present lines.

Tsuyoi missed Masashi's perfect smile, and she missed her mother even more. Nanao Arakawa had died on the battlefield a year before. Papa had never told her how; he'd always said that he'd tell her when she got older. All Tsuyoi knew was that Mum was the love and warmth that had lit up the house, and Papa's barking laugh provided the music. But both were gone, the house silent and cold, because the light had vanished and Papa's laugh was hollow now.

They still tried to be happy, though.

They went about their daily lives, Masashi working and Tsuyoi playing with the neighbors and the orphans at the Mother's Home. But one day, as life always does to the weak and the innocent, everything changed.

The wind blew on the trees, and the petals yielded to the breeze's command.

Tsuyoi didn't know when the fire started. She was in her room when smoke started to drift under the door. When she opened it, fire hissed and spat at her hair and clothes. She ran, burning her feet and arms as she shielded her face.

"Papa!" She shouted over the roar of the flames.

"Just run, Tsuyosugiru," his voice said quietly from behind the wall of fire. "Go strong, and run."

Tsuyoi ran. She failed to notice his mangled leg, his only reward from the wat, pinned beneath the burning fallen beam. "Papa!" She screamed as she ran, smoke filling her lungs. She collapsed outside in the grass, hacking and coughing and spitting and crying. She would never see her father again. She would live in the Mother's Home as the newest orphan, the daughter of the late Headman, Masashi Himekawa, for almost another year.

She could wield a tekkan better than any of the boys in her village, she could jump from tree to tree like a monkey and never turned down a dare. She hadn't cried since her papa told her that Mum was not coming home. But then, sprawled in the grass with embers falling about her, she cried.

Like any seven year old would do.

Tsuyoi opened her eyes to blackness. Memories, that was her dilemma. Every aspect of her life had been suppressed by Chizu, that much was apparent. But why?

 _Why should I even care?_ Her mind drifted lazily.

She could remember everything now, crystal clear. So sharp it stung. It was all there. How she had gotten here. Who'd she'd become. It was all coming to her. Naruto's arrival had sparked this sudden activity. His openness and frankness in nature had rubbed off on her.

"Damn you, Naruto..." She said, bubbles expelling from her mouth and into the blackness.

She let her mind wander again. She pictured Nanao's face; the same shade of green in her hair and eyes as her own. She missed her mother, but she could only remember little pieces about her. The soft trill in her voice. The glow of her candles as she prayed at night. Her fingers braiding Tsuyoi's hair. The things she could remember were enough. It made her feel warm.

Then she imagined Naruto's fingers in her hair instead of her Mum's. She didn't feel embarrassed. Or shy. She just wanted. She wanted to wake up. She wanted to fight beside him until she died. But she was stuck here. The emotions threatened to burst out of her, but there was no air for them to breathe in. No life. She loved Naruto, but it was much deeper than a petty crush. She was a part of Naruto, as he was of her. But she was stuck here, unable to move. She was too weak to do anything.

"Wake up!" She shouted at herself. "Naruto is calling you!"

 _Yowai...? Is she talking to me?_

"No! It's Natsukashii! Wake up! Yowai told Naruto that you loved him!"

Her eyes flew open. "I can't wake up on my own in the Black Room, Natsukashii."

"You have to try!"

"I can't. I don't wanna go, I wanna stay here."

"But Naruto is calling you." Natsukashii's voice was broken and confused.

"I don't care what he wants. He can't save me. And besides, I don't need to be saved." Tsuyoi let herself fall deep into the blackness, let it consume her. "Let Yowai deal with everything. Let me die."

"You're not yourself, Tsuyoi. I'm going to save you, and I will help Naruto save you! I won't let you die!"

Tsuyoi didn't answer. She closed her eyes. Natsukashii didn't speak again.

Something in Tsuyoi's mind was sobbing. She didn't know why. She couldn't remember.


	16. Hero

Yowai vaulted off of Naruto's shoulder, landing squarely a short distance away. Both were breathing hard from their intense battle, and Naruto was still trembling in anger.

"Why do you torture her like this? Where did you come from?" Naruto said, wiping away a smudge of blood from his jaw with his thumb.

"Tsuyoi created me. When a Dragon Queen is Chosen and recieves the Dragon Seal, she is literally swamped with a whole ten years worth of gathered energy. Tsuyoi is the Seventh Queen. She has almost eighty years of reiki stored within her. She must have had all negative thoughts pulled away and separated from the rest of her spirit, to preserve her sanity," Yowai said, tapping her temple. "Tsuyoi happens to have so much negative energy that it manifested into another being. Me. See, what I tell ya? Your girlfriend is evil!" Yowai taunted, edging close to him.

Gritting his teeth, he swung at her, but Yowai was too fast and his anger was too great. He staggered, unbalanced. Yowai popped into his blind spot in an instant, cracking him hard in the jaw with a left hook.

Blood erupted in Naruto's mouth as he bit his tongue. Before he could regain his composure, Yowai placed a foot in between his own, pushing her body right up close to his. Rocking forward, she swung again, hitting him in the cheek. Then she grabbed his shoulder and planted her fist squarely into his stomach.

"Aagh!" He gasped, blood flooding his mouth. He'd forgotten how solid Tsuyoi's boxing-style punches were. He felt like he'd been hit with a block of iron. Yowai stepped back, letting him fall to his knees.

"You can't win. You're holding back because I look like Tsuyoi." Yowai crossed her arms, mildly annoyed. "Just because I look like your girlfriend doesn't mean I act like her. I'm ruthless. I'll kill you without blinking."

"Oh yeah?" He shot back. "So when Tsuyoi slit my throat in the garden, that was your doing?" When Yowai flinched at his words, he had his asnwer. Tsuyoi had acted on instinct, not that her body had been taken over by this monster. _But that day when she yelled at her patrons..._ that _was Yowai._ "She can be pretty ruthless too, so don't feel too special. You're just a fake."

Yowai snarled, her lip curling. "Don't make me kill you, _Hayride._ "

Naruto stood, clutching his stomach. Anger flared up. "You're not Tsuyoi." His voice lowered dangerously. "Don't you _ever_ call me Hayride! Not in her voice!" He charged her, abandoning any sense of pain. He would save Tsuyoi.

 _Naruto!_ A growl sounded in his ear, making him falter.

Yowai took the opening, hitting him across his jaw twice. Naruto grunted in pain, landing on his bum.

"Nice timing, Natsukashii," he mumbled. His cheek was swelling. He touched it and winced. So much for feeling no pain.

 _Sorry! Tsuyoi needs your help!_ The Dragon Spirit's high-pitched voice had been deepening the last couple days, and it rumbled in his ear, making his skull buzz. _She's in the Black Room, and she needs you to wake her up!_

"What's the Black Room anyway? Is that what we're in?" Naruto asked, pushing himself to his feet.

"From what I'm gathering, the Black Room and the White Room physical manifestations of the inner layers in Tsuyoi's consciousness," Kurama observed, joining the conversation. "That Chizu hag has a foothold in her mind and manipulates what Tsuyoi feels for certain amounts of time. It also appears to me that she's putting a severe emotional strain on Tsuyoi spiritual energy, but I don't know why."

 _Do you remember when she was screaming before? In the White Room?_ Natsukashii piped up. _She was expelling so much reiki that if she was in her physical body, her temperature would have reached over 200 degrees. She would have literally melted!_

"Chizu is siphoning her power. That's the only explanation for it," Kurama concluded. "Chizu uses Tsuyoi's vast tap of power to run the monastery."

Naruto turned to Yowai. "What the hell is wrong with you people? Why would you torture yourself?"

"I don't know." Yowai actually looked puzzled. "It's what I do. I'm Yowai."

"You know what the problem is? _You're_ evil, not Tsuyoi. Everyone has a little bit of bad in them; that's normal! But it's up to you to overcome the bad stuff! If Chizu didn't separate the good and bad parts of her, Tsuyoi would be able to handle problems when they come and not break down when something goes wrong! _You're_ what's making her weak!"

"It isn't Yowai's fault. It is my own." Another voice sounded behind Naruto. He whirled around, ready to fight.

Another woman strode towards them. She looked to be about middle-aged with soft eyes. Her skin was brown and her hair pale green, unlike Tsuyoi's brazen emerald color. A massive dragon followed her, brilliant green-and-black scales glittering in the darkness.

"Who're you?" Naruto spat.

"My name is Hayate Ai. I am-was-the sixth Dragon Queen, and Tsuyoi's predecessor. I am the one to blame for the creation of Tsuyoi's weakness. Chizu just exploited it."

"What do you mean?" Naruto relaxed slightly, keeping his eyes on Yowai.

"When I passed on all the power I had accumulated during my reign, I was able to peer into Tsuyoi's spirit. I saw the heartache and pain she had endured, and I feared that she was not strong enough to handle both power and pain. So I separated the pain from her wholesomeness, isolated it, and bestowed my power upon her." Hayate's folded hands twitched beneath the long sleeves of her white dress. She cast her gaze past Naruto, to Yowai. "I was younger and foolish. I underestimated Tsuyoi's strength, and that was always my deepest regret, even unto death. Chizu recognized the dormant power within her and used my mistake to impose misery and torment on who I held up in the same regard as you would a little sister...or even my own child." Tears welled in Hayate's eyes. She lifted her hands, blinking them away. "Now I will adhere to my mistake. I will make it right. But it will use up the rest of my power. I will remain dormant inside Tsuyoi, unable to assist her. You, dear boy," she gazed into Naruto's eyes as she spoke, and white energy began to pulse in her palms, "you are going to do marvelous things for this country, and for Tsuyoi. But you must remain by her side at all times, to protect her and guide her. You must promise to do this in my place, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto was shocked speechless by the passion in her voice. He nodded, too overcome for words.

Tears flowed freely from her eyes. As she spoke, her voice shook. "Thank you. Please watch over her. She means so much to me." Then she turned to Yowai. "It's time for you to go home, Tsuyoi."

Yowai clenched her fists, anger bubbling in her eyes. "My name is Yowai!"

"No." Hayate said firmly. "You are Tsuyoi. You've just been separated from yourself. But I will take you home." The light in her hands glowed and stretched, spinning and pulsing brighter and brighter. "Please forgive me."

Yowai fell to her knees, clutching her chest. The black began to leak from her hair, but then the flow stopped and shadowed over the green again. "M-my name is Y-yowai." She muttered over and over like she was trying to convince herself.

Hayate smiled and spread open her arms, the light bending between them. The mute dragon behind her spread its wings. Their insides also glowed white. "Come home, Tsuyoi." The light grew and arched towards her. Naruto shielded his eyes against the glare, but not before he spotted Yowai close her eyes in surrender.

There was a brilliant explosion of white. Naruto ended up on his bum again, and he tried to blink the white aftereffects from his eyes.

"Naruto. You must be quick." Hayate's voice reached him, urgency ringing in her words.

He stood hurriedly, still half-blind. "What?"

"Tsuyoi is about to undergo reiki rebound. I added her other self to her spirit, but she'll need help. She wouldn't be able to survive the strain on her mind without it, and fortunately, you are here. Go to her."

"Where is she? How do I find her?" Naruto rubbed his eyes.

"You'll find her, don't worry. You are her hero, after all." Hayate and the gigantic dragon's aura flickered. "And when you do find her, tell her that I love her. It will be some time before I see her again."

"Okay." When Naruto could see clearly again, Hayate and her dragon had both disappeared. "Natsukashii? Are you still there?"

 _Yeah._

"Good. Can you tell me where Tsuyoi is?" He asked, gesturing to the blackness.

 _Nope. Sorry. Since I'm a part of her, anywhere she'll be I will only sense myself._

"Kurama? What about you?"

"Yeah, yeah, just give me a minute," the biju grumbled. After a moment, he spoke again. "Just call her." His voice sounded puzzled.

"What?"

"Just do it, numbskull!"

"Fine. You don't have to be mean." Cupping his hands around his mouth, he called. "Tsuyoi Arakawa! Where the hell are you?"

The blackness around him gave way to an empty space, tinged green. In the center of it was Tsuyoi, wrapped in tree-like green tendrils. The tendrils were lowering her into a hole in the floor. Green steamed was falling down into the gap in the floor. Acting on instinct, Naruto immediately started running towards it. "What the hell is that?" He asked as he ran.

"That hole's bad news!" Kurama exclaimed. "If she goes in there, it means her mind didn't survive the rebound."

 _I wish I could do something!_ Natsukashii wailed. _But I'm trapped in her consciousness._

"Just try to wake her up, okay? I'll save her. I promise." Sweat poured down Naruto's face. It was getting hot in her, wherever he was now.

"So, Naruto's going to save a princess, eh? Way to go, hero." Kurama taunted.

"Who needs a princess when you can save a queen?" Naruto shot back, grinning despite the pain in his jaw where Yowai had hit him.

"Well said." Kurama conceded. "Let's save her, then."

Naruto cupped his hand around his mouth again. "Tsuyoi! Wake up!"


	17. Home - Final Chapter

As Naruto ran, images flickered along the walls, wavering like tongues of fire. A flash of yellow caught his eye. He slowed, turning his head to look, and spotted himself. He stopped altogether. In the images that passed by, hazy and rough, Naruto saw Tsuyoi. She was standing, eyes alight with anger, staring the other him down. The lightning in her eye fizzled out, leaving pain so vibrant and bright he felt a searing pain in his chest. The other him didn't, though. The other him stared back at Tsuyoi, eyes hard. He muttered one word that Naruto couldn't catch but felt like he knew what it was anyway, and then the other him turned and stalked away, leaving Tsuyoi in the shadows. Tsuyoi stood firm for a moment longer, then collapsed to her knees, shaking with silent sobs.

"Naruto," Kurama said softly.

"Tsuyoi's biggest fear is...is me leaving her," Naruto muttered, mostly to himself.

"Naruto, you have to move. Her mindscape is folding in on itself." Kurama said, still soft.

Naruto lifted his eyes, brilliant expanses of blue sparking with passion. "I will save Tsuyoi. Even if it kills me."

* * *

She was drifting again. This time was different, though, because her drift had direction. She was being pulled down, down, down, towards something that was dangerous. Something that was black and dark and lonely. There was no home there. Only darkness. She wasn't sure she wanted to be there, but she was no way for her to fight the force pulling her.

"Remember what you said? Home is where Naruto is! And Naruto is looking for you! Your home is looking for you! So why are you running away from it?" Natsukashii's voice was in her head.

Tsuyoi's head was pounding. Stars had fallen from the sky and onto her skull. She was in pain. She was on fire. Her mind was hurting. It was broken and bruised and bleeding. Her eyes opened. She screamed.

She screamed to release the pain. She screamed to be heard. She screamed for home.

"Naruto!"

She heard his voice approaching her's, laced with Natuskashii's.

"I'm coming, Tsuyoi!"

She reached with her arms, fighting the tendrils that made up her consciousness.

"I got you." His hands closed down a moment after he spoke. He pulled and she pushed, and in that moment, their minds clicked into sync. In that moment, their goals and feelings aligned. Both of their eyes opened wide and their iris colors switched. Tsuyoi's eye were now blue, Naruto's green.

Suddenly the green of the room was plunged into red and black and Tsuyoi found her body feeling weightless. She was freefalling, down into darkness.

"Naruto!" She yelled to him somewhere above her, terror rising in her voice.

"Give me your hand!" He shouted back.

 _Reach out for him!_ Natsukashii instructed.

Her hand shot out, crashing into his. He grabbed for her, but her hand slid out of his like water. Tsuyoi screamed, feeling the pulse of the blackness beneath her. If she fell down into that, she would never get out again. It would devour her.

"Naruto!" She looked up, seeing a flash of blonde above her. Then her vision went dark. For a moment, she panicked and flailed her arms against a strong chest and arms. Naruto was hugging her close.

"Grab hold and do not let go!" He ordered. When she made move to wrap her arms around him, something hard and firm slid up her leg and pressed against her stomach. The foreign pressure suddenly thrust them apart, sending them both spinning away through the air.

"Tsuyoi!"

There was another beat, and Tsuyoi slammed into the ground, the breath knocked out of her chest. She stood quickly, looking around in panic. "Naruto! Naruto, where are you?" She shouted.

"I'm over here! Tsuyoi!" His voice came back to her from somewhere in the distance. Tsuyoi started to run as fast as she could, but she slid and fell into something slick. Looking down, fear filled her chest. The ground was black, little hills of something slippery. She bit back a scream when her foot disappear into the depths and began to sink inside it.

 _Keep moving!_ Natsukashii roared.

Tsuyoi scrambled furiously. "Naruto!" She called again. She needed to hear his voice again so she could find him.

"Tsuyoi!" He was closer. Then she spotted something shiny. There was a light. She paused, even though she was starting to sink again, but that light...it was Naruto. He was glowing. He was dashing across the black slickness towards her, his face fixed in a mask of hard determination. "Don't move, Tsuyoi!"

She continued to sink. The ooze was slicked up to her calves now, and she closed her eyes. Then something warm slid over her shoulders and pressed against her face. Naruto was hugging her again, tighter than before. "I'm not going to let you go until you prove to me that you can stand by yourself," he muttered into her hair. "Do you hear me, Tsuyoi? You are already strong. You always have been. That's why Hayate chose you to begin with." The ugly red-and-black color in the room faded to blue.

Tsuyoi wrapped her arms around his middle and squeezed. She let her head lean against his chest. "You can't be strong when you cry," she whispered. She finally spoke the words that she'd harbored within her since she was a little kid. She knew it was silly, but it was the truth.

"It's not crying that makes you weak. It's what you do when you're done crying that decides whether you're weak or not." Naruto replied. "And you're not crying because you're weak. You're crying because you've been strong for too long."

Tsuyoi smiled and cried at the same time.

"Come on, say it."

She looked up at him. His eyes still pulsed green, instead of his sky blue. It was her shade of emerald green. "Say what?"

"That you are strong." His face remained solemn.

Tsuyoi faltered, then smiled again softly. She hugged him again. "Okay, Naruto. My name is Tsuyoi Arakawa. And I am strong."

At her words, the spell broke over them, the room shattered like glass, and Tsuyoi and Naruto were back in the kitchen.

Tsuyoi gasped, back in her physical body. She found herself clutching Naruto's shirt as she fought for air.

Alarmed, Naruto grabbed her arms, trying to calm her down. "Breathe, Tsuyoi! Come on, calm down, breathe."

Tsuyoi's gasping faded to sobs, but she cried in relief. "Naruto...I think I feel better."

"About what?"

A pause. "Everything."

"So you're gonna stop crying like a baby now?" Naruto grinned down at her.

"Stop it, you bully," she said, starting to laugh through her tears.

She leaned against him while she caught her breath, looking around. The discarded golem was standing now, its hollow eyes filled with green light. Tsuyoi stared as the truth behind all the events that had transpired filled her head.

She looked up; pale golden light filtered through the window, and the candles were all out, their wax now small stubs.

"No..." She scrambled up, startling Naruto.

"What is it?"

"It can't be." She tried to run, but she stumbled. "It can't be morning."

"Wait, Tsuyoi." Naruto stood, sliding his arm beneath her for balance. They hobbled out of the dining hall and out of the front foyer. Naruto pushed the front door open, and golden Liodito sun flooded over them.

"No!" Tsuyoi went limp, hitting the ground. "We were there all night? Now tomorrow...tomorrow is the Day Of Choosing. I have to go to Liodito to chose the next Queen. But...I don't want to! I don't want anyone to suffer how I've suffered."

Naruto stepped past her, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Take a good long look, Tsuyoi. At my back. This used to drive Sakura crazy, but right now I'm stronger than you. By the end of this journey, you have to catch up to me. Do you understand?"

Tsuyoi gazed up at the sun washing over his hair and the black tails of his Konoha headband.

 _Home._

"So come on, Konoha. You wanna do this together or what?" He turned and spread his hand out to her.

"Konoha?" She took his hand and stood shakily.

"Yeah. Your hair reminds me of leaves." Naruto smiled.

Tsuyoi smiled back. "Okay, Hayride. Let's do it together."

-END OF BOOK ONE-


End file.
